The Royal Academy of Arts

1773

Richard Earlom after Johann Zoffany

Associated Names
Richard Earlom

Artist, British, 1743 - 1822

Johann Zoffany

Artist After, British, 1733 - 1810

The image depicts a group of people in a room. Most are shown from head to toe, adopting various poses like standing, sitting, and leaning on furniture or each other. Some are gesturing or holding objects like books. Two central figures are partially nude and posed prominently in the foreground. The people in the room have diverse facial features and expressions, with short, 18th-century-style hair or wigs. They wear elaborate period clothing, including waistcoats, breeches, and long coats. Some have small pince-nez or monocles. The background features sculptures, busts, and paintings. A large overhead lamp hangs centrally, providing light and a focal point. The setting appears to be an art atelier or academic studio of the era.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    mezzotint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 50.5 x 71.7 cm (19 7/8 x 28 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 50.2 x 72.1 cm (19 3/4 x 28 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2001.96.5

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Smith 1884, no. 1, undesc i/ii


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Christopher Lennox-Boyd; (C. G. Boerner Limited, New York); purchased 2001 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1884

  • Smith, John Chaloner. British mezzotinto portraits, being a descriptive catalogue of these engravings from the introduction of the art to the early part of the present century. 4 vols. London: Henry Sotheran and Co., 1884: no. 1, undesc i/ii

1886

  • Wessely, J. E. Richard Earlom: Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter. Hamburg, 1886, no. 102, i/ii

1926

  • Russell, Charles Edward. English Mezzotint Portraits and Their States. 2 vols. London: Halton and Truscott Smith, Ltd., 1926.

2001

  • C. G. Boerner Ltd. Mezzotints from the Collection of Christopher Lennox-Boyd. London, 2001: no. 34.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: J Zoffany pinxit; lower center in plate: Publish'd August 1st. 1773. R. Sayer Excudit; lower right in plate: R. Earlom. Sculpt; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: P42551

Watermarks

Cross above a shield in an oval

Wikidata ID

Q76355885

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