The Reward of Cruelty

1750

John Bell, after William Hogarth

Associated Names
John Bell

Artist, British, active 1750s

William Hogarth

Artist After, English, 1697 - 1764

This is a drawing of an anatomical dissection taking place in a lecture theatre. A central figure is performing a dissection on a human body on a round table, surrounded by other figures observing intently. The setting is crowded with onlookers, some in academic attire. In the background, there are skeletal figures on either side and the room is ornately decorated with large windows and a crest above the central area. In the foreground, there are elements such as a dissection instrument, a cauldron with skulls, and a dog sniffing around a bucket.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on thick laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Purchased as the Gift of Ann and Matthew Nimetz

  • Dimensions

    block: 45.2 x 37.6 cm (17 13/16 x 14 13/16 in.)
    sheet: 52.7 x 40.9 cm (20 3/4 x 16 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.2.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Paulson 1989, no. 190/1, "copy"

  • Series Title

    The Four Stages of Cruelty

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Andrew Edmunds, London); purchased 2012 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • Hogarth: Cruelty and Humor, The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, 2019.

Bibliography

1989

  • Paulson, Ronald. Hogarth's Graphic Works. Third edition. London, 1989: no. 190/1

Wikidata ID

Q76560927

You may be interested in

Loading Results