John Hamilton Mortimer was one of the most distinctive British artists to emerge in the latter half of the eighteenth century. First and foremost a history painter, his Romantic style and choice of subject matter drew comparisons with the work of Salvator Rosa, although in contrast with many of his contemporaries, he turned for inspiration primarily to Anglo-Saxon literature and history rather than to classical antiquity. Although president of the Society of Artists from 1774 and very much a member of the artistic establishment, and although parallels can be drawn between his work and that of Fuseli and Romney, he stands as a unique and idiosyncratic figure in the history of British art, with no notable followers.

The present work is an etching after one of a set of twelve drawings of characters from Shakespeare’s plays exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1775 (as no. 179). The etchings were issued by Mortimer to subscribers in two sets of six. They were re-issued in 1812 and 1816 by Thomas Palser, who acquired the plates at Mortimer's widow's sale.

Provenance: Purchased by David H Solkin, FBA, Walter H Annenberg Professor of the History of Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art (purchased mid-1970s; possibly Craddock and Barnard)

Sunderland, John, John Hamilton Mortimer: his life and works, Walpole Society, 1986 (LII), 96.10
96.10

Inscription: recto & lower right : pencil : £6 / 496 //