James Barry (Irish, 1741-1806)
published by Philipp André (German, active London, 1800–1805)
and James Heath (British, 1757–1834)
Eastern Patriarch, from the first issue of Specimens of Polyautography
INV-2290
James Barry (Irish, 1741-1806)
published by Philipp André (German, active London, 1800–1805)
and James Heath (British, 1757–1834)1803
Eastern Patriarch, from the first issue of Specimens of Polyautography
James Barry (Irish, 1741-1806) published by Philipp André (German, active London, 1800–1805) and James Heath (British, 1757–1834) →lithographprint
Date
1803
Medium
Lithograph in black on cream wove paper, tipped onto mount with aquatint border in gray on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image/primary support: 23 × 31.7 cm (9 1/16 × 12 1/2 in.); Secondary support: 37.5 × 48.9 cm (14 13/16 × 19 5/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston Fund
Despite its title Eastern Patriarch, Barry’s lithograph directly copies the head of King Lear from his painting King Lear Weeping Over the Body of Cordelia (1786–88), as well as an earlier print of the same subject. Barry’s image of Lear calls to mind the king’s words from Shakespeare’s play: “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! . . . Singe my white head!”