A Tyger
Engraver John Murphy Irish
After James Northcote British
Publisher John & Josiah Boydell British
Not on view
Emerging from a dark cave, Northcote's tiger fixes us with a mesmerizing stare. His stance and masklike face suggest we are to be his next prey. Conceived during the opening years of the French Revolution, the image may be read as a metaphor warning Britons against the dangerous political forces on the loose across the Channel. The smoky medium of mezzotint was ideally suited to Murphy's rendering.
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