ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Scapegoat

Engraver Charles Henry Mottram British
After William Holman Hunt British
Publisher Henry Graves & Co. British
1861
Not on view
This grand reproductive engraving has been called "Mottram's greatest tour de force." It is based on a painting by Holman Hunt that caused a sensation when shown at the Royal Academy in 1856. The artist recorded the Dead Sea setting during a visit to Syria and Palestine in 1854, offering viewers a sense of the reality of the Holy Land with an Old Testament subject of ritualized sacrifice that Protestant viewers saw as a symbolic precedent for the sufferings of Jesus. In 1896 Ford Madox Brown wrote that "Hunt's 'Scapegoat' requires to be seen to be believed" since "only then can it be understood how, by the might of genius, out of an old goat, and some saline incrustations, can be made one of the most tragic and impressive works in the annals of art." The publisher Henry Graves worked with Mottram on numerous occasions to produce prints of high quality issued in large editions to appeal to a wide public.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Scapegoat
  • Engraver: Charles Henry Mottram (British, 1807–1876 London)
  • Artist: After William Holman Hunt (British, London 1827–1910 London)
  • Publisher: Henry Graves & Co. (British, active 1827–1926)
  • Date: 1861
  • Medium: Various engraving techniques on chine collé
  • Dimensions: Chine: 23 1/4 × 35 1/2 in. (59 × 90.1 cm)
    Plate: 24 7/16 × 36 1/2 in. (62.1 × 92.7 cm)
    Sheet: 23 1/4 × 35 1/2 in. (59 × 90.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of James David Draper, 2019
  • Object Number: 2021.15.19
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Boston
Multiple artists/makers
1857
Basle, part I, plate 5 from "Liber Studiorum", Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Etching and mezzotint; first state of six (Finberg)
Basle, part I, plate 5 from "Liber Studiorum"
Multiple artists/makers
June 11, 1807
Lake of Thun, Swiss, part III, plate 15 from "Liber Studiorum", Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Etching, drypoint and mezzotint; first state of three
Lake of Thun, Swiss, part III, plate 15 from "Liber Studiorum"
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Charles Turner
June 10, 1808
The Waterworks at Marli, and St. German en Laye seen in the distance (La Machine de Marli, avec une vue eloignée de St. German en Laye), Thomas Girtin British, Soft-ground etching and aquatint
The Waterworks at Marli, and St. German en Laye seen in the distance (La Machine de Marli, avec une vue eloignée de St. German en Laye)
Multiple artists/makers
1803
Weymouth Bay, David Lucas British, Mezzotint on chine collé; proof before published state
Weymouth Bay
David Lucas
John Constable
1830

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.