Archive: Portrait Highlight

Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679)

This copper/stipple engraving is the work of J Posselwhite (click on it to see it enlarged). It was published around 1850 by Charles Knight, Ludgate Street, London. 

The following is printed under the portrait:

"From a Picture by Dobson in the possession of The Royal Society. Under the Superintendance of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge."

A stipple engraving consists of a series of dots cut into a copper plate. The technique can be more fully appreciated when seen in close-up, as illustrated here.

Thomas Hobbes was an English Philosopher. Born prematurely when his mother heard news of the approaching Armada, by the age of 14 he had translated Euripedes' Medea into Latin. He made the acquaintance of such men as Ben Jonson, Bacon, Descartes and Galileo. His writings, which include Leviathan, a work of political philosophy, were controversial in their day.

The Hobbes portrait is sold ready to frame, price £25, approx. dimensions 12 x 10 ins, 30 x 25.5 cms. 

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Last Modified: 30 October 2000