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A Sacrifice Interrupted

John Hamilton Mortimer

1774

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanticism 18th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

A Sacrifice Interrupted is a 1774 by John Hamilton Mortimer, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: John Hamilton Mortimer
When & what style?: 1774 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a crowded scene: a man raises an axe over a kneeling boy, while others watch in horror or glee. Mortimer loved dark, strange stories. No one’s sure what this one is—maybe a forgotten myth or a made-up drama. The ink lines are quick and bold, like he drew it in one breath. To see more of his wild, shadowy work, look up John Hamilton Mortimer (British, 1740–1779).