Successful Monster

1778

John Hamilton Mortimer

Associated Names
John Hamilton Mortimer

Artist, British, 1740 - 1779

This is a drawing of two mythical creatures entangled together. The scene shows a figure resembling a satyr or faun intertwined with another figure with serpentine elements, like a snake around them. The background includes clouds and foliage. The composition is expressive and dynamic, emphasizing movement in the forms and surrounding elements. The caption below reads "Successful Monster." The style is akin to 18th-century etchings, with a focus on line work and detailed textures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on pale blue-green paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Thomas Vogler in memory of his brother Donald J. Vogler

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 29.6 × 19.2 cm (11 5/8 × 7 9/16 in.), cut within platemark

  • Accession Number

    2017.53.65

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Sunderland 1986, no. 140.12

  • Series Title

    Fifteen Etchings Dedicated to Sir Joshua Reynolds

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Campbell Fine Art, London, 20 October 1992); Donald Vogler, Portland, OR; gift to NGA, 2017.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1986

  • Sunderland, John. "John Hamilton Mortimer: His Life and Works," Walpole Society 52 (1986): no. 140.12

Inscriptions

lower center in image: JM; lower center in plate: SUCCESSFUL MONSTER / Published Dec.r 8, 1778 by I. Mortimer

Wikidata ID

Q77259460

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