Classical Subject of Fighting

1760–79

Not on view

Mortimer’s bravura penwork in this sheet is characteristic, but his choice of a classical subject is unusual. The artist was known for his Romantic banditti pieces in the spirit of Salvator Rosa and his imaginative compositions featuring Oriental heads and playful monsters. In this scene, a warrior, whose pose echoes that of the Apollo Belvedere, straddles the body of a fallen companion and grasps a short sword while holding up his cloak to protect himself from primitive attackers armed with clubs and stones. Fallen horses at left indicate a recent battle, while a tiny sailboat on the horizon adds a narrative touch. Mortimer usually made detailed pen drawings of this sort in preparation for related etchings, but the present composition was not turned into a print and its literary source remains unknown.

Artwork Details

Title: Classical Subject of Fighting
Artist: John Hamilton Mortimer (British, Eastbourne 1740–1779 London)
Date: 1760–79
Medium: Pen and black and brown ink, traces of black chalk
Dimensions: Sheet: 9 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. (23.5 x 37.5 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013
Object Number: 2013.95
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By John Hamilton Mortimer

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Banditti Taking His Post, John Hamilton Mortimer British, Etching — Banditti Taking His Post
John Hamilton Mortimer
late 18th century

Banditti in a mountainous landscape, John Hamilton Mortimer British, Pen and black ink — Banditti in a mountainous landscape
John Hamilton Mortimer
1770–79

Lucretia's Dead Body is Carried by her Husband, Led by her Mourning Father, John Hamilton Mortimer British, Pen and ink over traces of graphite or chalk — Lucretia's Dead Body is Carried by her Husband, Led by her Mourning Father
John Hamilton Mortimer
1770–79 (?)

Bardolph, from "Twelve Characters from Shakespeare", John Hamilton Mortimer British, Etching — Bardolph, from "Twelve Characters from Shakespeare"
John Hamilton Mortimer
William Shakespeare
May 20, 1775

Shylock, from "Twelve Characters from Shakespeare", John Hamilton Mortimer British, Etching — Shylock, from "Twelve Characters from Shakespeare"
John Hamilton Mortimer
William Shakespeare
March 15, 1776

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