Intemperance

Engraver William Chevalier French
After Thomas Stothard British
Printer William Day British
1847–53
Not on view
This print reproduces an oil painting that Stothard based on a mural decoration he painted between 1799 and 1802 to adorn the Great Staircase at Burghley House, Lincolnshire for the Marquis of Exeter. Antony and Cleopatra represent Intemperance within a broader scheme devoted to the Virtues and Vices. Anthony and Cleopatra sit in a colonnade with flowers scattered by the Three Graces and cherubs hanging a garlands of fruit, and Bacchus at right supported by two fauns.

The painting was acquired by Robert Vernon whose fortune came from supplying horses to the British armies during the Napoleonic wars. He acquired paintings by living British artists and presented 157 to the nation in 1847. Initially these were shown at Marlborough House on Pall Mall before being moved to the South Kensington Museum and then the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in 1876. Finally, some of the group went to the Tate Gallery.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Intemperance
  • Engraver: William Chevalier (French, Paris 1804–1866)
  • Artist: After Thomas Stothard (British, London 1755–1834 London)
  • Printer: William Day (London)
  • Date: 1847–53
  • Medium: Etching and engraving on chine collé
  • Dimensions: Image: 6 5/8 × 10 1/4 in. (16.8 × 26 cm)
    Plate: 10 1/2 × 14 1/8 in. (26.6 × 35.8 cm)
    Sheet: 11 1/4 × 16 3/4 in. (28.5 × 42.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Georgiana W. Sargent, in memory of John Osborne Sargent, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.63.832(147)
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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.