Live Auction 17994Old Master & British Drawings Including Works from the Collection of Jean Bonna
Thomas Rowlandson (London 1756-1827)
Lot 121 Property of a Private Collector

Thomas Rowlandson (London 1756-1827)

Death looking at vanity

Closed28 January 2020

Price Realised

USD 8,125

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

Thomas Rowlandson (London 1756-1827)
Death looking at vanity
inscribed 'Let her paint an Inch thick, to this favour she must come./ Shakespear' (lower center, on the artist's mount)
pencil, pen and ink and watercolor
12 x 10 in. (30.5 x 25.4 cm)

with Davis Galleries, New York

Specialist note

The inscription on the present drawing comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act V, Scene I, Ophelia's burial procession. It is spoken by Hamlet to Yorick's skull, suggesting that however much effort one puts into their appearance, mortality is inescapable.