The Fifth Plague of Egypt, part III, plate 16 from "Liber Studiorum"
Turner distilled his ideas about landscape in "Liber Studiorum" (Latin for Book of Studies), a series of seventy prints plus a frontispiece published between 1807 and 1819. To establish the compositions, he made brown watercolor drawings, then etched outlines onto copper plates. Professional engravers usually developed the tone under Turner's direction, and Charles Turner here added mezzotint to describe a passage from "Exodus" 9. The chapter recounts three of the ten plagues invoked by Moses to persuade Egypt's pharoah to release the Hebrews from bondage. Curiously, the title mentions the fifth plague, directed against domestic animals, but the print focuses on the seventh, an apocalypic storm of hail and fire. The letter "H" in the upper margin indicates to Turner's category of Historical landscape.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Fifth Plague of Egypt, part III, plate 16 from "Liber Studiorum"
- Series/Portfolio: Liber Studiorum
- Artist: Designed and etched by Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London)
- Engraver: Engraved and published by Charles Turner (British, Woodstock, Oxfordshire 1774–1857 London)
- Date: June 10, 1808
- Medium: Etching and mezzotint; first state of three
- Dimensions: plate: 7 1/16 x 10 1/4 in. (17.9 x 26 cm)
sheet: 8 1/4 x 11 7/16 in. (21 x 29.1 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
- Object Number: 28.97.16
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1808
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Charles Turner
June 10, 1808
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1830
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1834
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1828–37
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.