Time Smoking a Picture

1761

William Hogarth

Associated Names
William Hogarth

Artist, English, 1697 - 1764

This is a drawing of a winged figure beside an easel and a pot of varnish. The image features a skeletal figure with wings seated at an easel, engaged with a painting or canvas. To the side is a large urn labeled "VARNISH" and at the figure's feet rests a severed head and a torso. The painting on the easel depicts a cloud or smoke with amorphous shapes. Above the assembly, a ladder is seen. An inscription reads "As Statues moulder into Worth." The style of the drawing is illustrative and detailed, using a clear line technique reminiscent of etchings.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and mezzotint

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 22.5 x 18.1 cm (8 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1944.5.121

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Paulson 1965, no. 207

Associated Artworks

See all 114 artworks
The image depicts an engraving of a seated man facing slightly to the right with his body turned slightly to the left. The man has prominent facial features, including large eyes, a prominent nose, and a closed mouth. He wears a fur hat, a dark coat, and a buttoned shirt with a white collar. A pug dog sits beside him, facing the viewer. Objects like books, an artist's palette, brushes, and a cloth are scattered around them. In the background is a draped curtain, and at the bottom is the inscription "Gulielmus Hogarth."

Gulielmus Hogarth

William Hogarth

1748

Collected Works of William Hogarth

William Hogarth

1697

This is a drawing of character profiles and caricatures. The drawing consists of profiles of faces depicted in a stylized manner on one side, and as exaggerated caricatures on the other side. Varying facial expressions and features are shown, with a row dividing the characters and caricatures to illustrate the difference through levels of exaggeration.

Characters and Caricaturas

William Hogarth

1743

More About this Artwork

Scholarly Article:  Pigment Alteration and Color Change

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1965

  • Paulson, Ronald. Hogarth's Graphic Works. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. Rev. ed., 1970.

Wikidata ID

Q65026990

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