Artwork
Francis, Lord Bacon
Francis, Lord Bacon is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Edward Scriven. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Edward Scriven’s 1808 engraving presents a formal portrait of Francis Bacon, the English philosopher and statesman. Rendered in a dark interior setting, the figure stands in a black robe with a pronounced ruffled collar, holding a sheet of paper in his right hand. The composition conveys a solemn, dignified atmosphere appropriate to Bacon’s public stature.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Francis Bacon (1561–1626), is depicted as a learned authority, his attire and the document he grasps alluding to his contributions to political theory and scientific method. The portrait emphasizes his intellectual gravitas rather than personal attributes, aligning with early‑modern conventions of representing eminent figures.
Technique & Style
Scriven employed his characteristic stipple and chalk engraving technique, using fine dots and delicate lines to simulate the softness of chalk drawing. This approach creates subtle tonal gradations, especially in the folds of the robe and the facial features, achieving a nuanced, almost painterly effect within the print medium.
History & Provenance
The engraving was produced by Edward Scriven, a prolific English engraver active in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Over his career he executed more than two hundred portrait engravings, establishing him as a principal figure in the reproduction of contemporary and historical personalities.
Context
Portrait engravings like this served as a means of disseminating images of notable individuals before the advent of photography. Scriven’s work fits within a broader tradition of British printmaking that catered to a growing public interest in the lives and ideas of political and intellectual leaders.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edward Scriven (1775 – 23 August 1841) was an English engraver of portraits, in the stipple and chalk manner. Scriven was the pre-eminent engraver of his generation, with 210 portraits ascribed to him by the National Portrait Gallery.
