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King Lear Weeping Over the Body of Cordelia (Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3)

August 1, 1792
Not on view
Legat's print reproduces Barry's tragic representation of King Lear mourning his daughter, the original nine by twelve foot canvas painted for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery in 1786-7, now at Tate Britain. Four years residence in Rome two decades earlier gave the artist a deep admiration for Italian art, and his heroically scaled king recalls Michelangelo's Prophet Jeremiah from the Sistine Ceiling, while Kent's elegantly muscled form echoes Parmigianino. The setting includes chalk cliffs near Dover, mentioned in the play, and Druidic temples resembling Stonehenge. Setting aside the happy ending introduced by Naham Tate in 1681, an adaption that held the London stage through the early 19th century, Barry represents Shakespeare's original heartrending conception.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: King Lear Weeping Over the Body of Cordelia (Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3)
  • Series/Portfolio: Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery
  • Engraver: Francis Legat (British, Edinburgh 1755–1809 London)
  • Artist: After James Barry (Irish, Cork 1741–1806 London)
  • Publisher: John & Josiah Boydell (British, 1786–1804)
  • Subject: William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: August 1, 1792
  • Medium: Etching and engraving
  • Dimensions: Plate: 19 7/16 × 24 11/16 in. (49.4 × 62.7 cm)
    Sheet: 20 3/8 in. × 26 in. (51.7 × 66 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gertrude and Thomas Jefferson Mumford Collection, Gift of Dorothy Quick Mayer, 1942
  • Object Number: 42.119.528
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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