John Hamilton Mortimer
English, 1740-1779
Lear
INV-1556
John Hamilton Mortimer
English, 1740-1779March 15, 1776 (originally published); published 1809
etchingprint
Date
March 15, 1776 (originally published); published 1809
Medium
Etching on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Plate: 40.3 × 32 cm (15 7/8 × 12 5/8 in.); Sheet: 58.7 × 44.4 cm (23 1/8 × 17 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Mary S. Adams Endowment
Part of the same series of heads that includes the image of Beatrice, this work depicts the crazed King Lear as he gazes skyward. His eyes bulge and his hair whips about his face as he considers his own misdeeds and tragedy. John Hamilton Mortimer expertly captured the despair and loss of control Lear feels in this moment. The old king cries out the monologue quoted below the image.
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