About this artwork
John Hamilton Mortimer’s Twelve Heads series of etchings depicting Shakespearian characters exemplifies the subjects’ heightened thought and passion. Three of the Heads include Caliban, a loyal but unruly savage from The Tempest; Edgar, the son of Gloucester who feigns madness in King Lear; and the poet played by Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Their intense expressions and the oval cropping draw the viewer’s focus into the theatrical action that the prints reference. The accompanying excerpts tie the characters to a particular scene from their respective plays, blending written and visual art.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- John Hamilton Mortimer
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Title
- Edgar
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Place
- England (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- Published 1809
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Medium
- Etching on cream wove paper
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Dimensions
- Plate: 40 × 32.1 cm (15 3/4 × 12 11/16 in.); Sheet: 59.6 × 43.8 cm (23 1/2 × 17 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Mary S. Adams Endowment
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Reference Number
- 2001.128
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/155620/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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