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Lear and Cordelia

Butts, Jr., Thomas

1807

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

Lear and Cordelia is a 1807 ink by Butts, Jr., Thomas, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Butts, Jr., Thomas
When & what style?: 1807 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This black-and-white print shows two faces side by side in a circle. The man on the left has a long white beard and a serious look. The woman on the right touches her chin, her hair curled loosely, with a calm expression. The artist used fine lines to build up shadows and texture, especially in the hair and beard. This is called *cross-hatching*—layers of lines create depth without color. Look up engraving to see how artists like this made detailed prints.

The story of this work

Overview

Created around 1807, this black‑and‑white engraving by Thomas Butts Jr. presents the figures of Lear and his daughter Cordelia within a circular composition. The work pairs the two characters side by side, each rendered in profile, and is executed entirely with line work rather than pigment.

Subject & Meaning

The image captures the tragic king Lear alongside his loyal daughter Cordelia, a motif drawn from Shakespeare’s drama. Their juxtaposed gazes and calm demeanors suggest a moment of contemplation, emphasizing the contrast between Lear’s stern authority and Cordelia’s gentle resolve.

Technique & Style

Butts employs delicate cross‑hatching to model the faces, using intersecting lines to suggest volume in the beard, hair, and shadows. This method allows subtle gradations of tone without any color, a hallmark of early 19th‑century printmaking that emphasizes precision and texture.

History & Provenance

The engraving was produced in the early nineteenth century, likely for a market interested in literary subjects. It bears the signature of Thomas Butts Jr., a known English engraver, and has been catalogued in several collections of Shakespeare‑related prints, confirming its attribution and dating.

Read the full account in the museum source.