Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

King Lear and Cordelia (Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 4, Scene 7)

ca. 1783
Not on view
West painted several versions of this subject, showing Lear regaining consciousness in the French camp following his ordeal on the heath. This related stipple engraving is closest to a painting at the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, and shows Kent, or a doctor, supporting the traumatized king. When Cordelia asks if her father knows her, Lear replies:
"You are a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire, that my own tears
Do scald like molten lead."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: King Lear and Cordelia (Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 4, Scene 7)
  • Engraver: (?) Francesco Bartolozzi (Italian, Florence 1728–1815 Lisbon)
  • Artist: After Benjamin West (American, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 1738–1820 London)
  • Publisher: Benjamin Beale Evans (British, ca. 1765–1824)
  • Subject: William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon)
  • Date: ca. 1783
  • Medium: Stipple engraving, printed in brown ink
  • Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed within plate): 12 5/8 × 17 3/16 in. (32.1 × 43.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Olga Sichel and Max Philippson, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.557.175
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester, William, 2nd Viscount Courtenay, de jure 8th Earl of Devon, and George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry, Francesco Bartolozzi Italian, Black and red chalk, varnished
George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester, William, 2nd Viscount Courtenay, de jure 8th Earl of Devon, and George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry
Multiple artists/makers
1779–1802
"Royal George" Cello, William Forster British, Spruce, maple, ebony, British
"Royal George" Cello
William Forster
1782
Saint Mary Magdalen, Angelo Albanesi Italian, Stipple engraving printed in reddish brown ink
Saint Mary Magdalen
Angelo Albanesi
After Guido Reni
January 15, 1779
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Francesco Bartolozzi Italian, Black and red chalk, varnished
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
Francesco Bartolozzi
Former Attribution Formerly attributed to John Singleton Copley
Sitter William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
1779–1802
Alto Recorder, Joseph Bradbury British, Wood, ivory, British
Alto Recorder
Joseph Bradbury
ca. 1700

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 contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.