Artwork
William Pitt
William Pitt is an ink print by the Romanticist artist John Jones. It dates from 1789 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in plate: Publish'd as the Act directs, May 20th, 1789, by J. Jones, No 75 Great Portland / The Right Honorable WILLIAM PITT, Chancellor of the Exchequer / 1789; lower right in plate: Engraved by John Jones
About this work
Overview
This print, 'William Pitt', is a mezzotint on laid paper created by John Jones in 1789.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts a man, likely William Pitt, dressed in formal attire with ornate sleeves, holding a rolled document and a small item, set against a backdrop of a draped curtain and a bust on a shelf.
Technique & Style
The mezzotint technique, used here, involves scraping a metal plate to achieve smooth shading, a method favored for detailed portraits in the 18th century.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Henry Laurens
John Jeffreys Pratt, Second Earl and First Marquis Camden as Knight of the Order of the Garter
H Beard Print Collection
King George III of England
Henry Laurens
H Beard Print Collection
Lord Cornwallis
Charles Thorp as Lord Mayor of Dublin
John Ponsonby (1713-1789), Speaker
Portrait of Prince Abbondio Rezzonico as Senator of Rome
William Denison
John, Lord FitzGibbon