Portrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the Distance

Portrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the Distance

Richard Cosway

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The British miniaturist Cosway used graphite to create this small full-length portrait, adding watercolor to define the face. George, 5th Duke of Marlborough wears historical fancy dress consisting of a short brocaded jacket with slashed sleeves, tight hose, short boots, a cloak, plumed hat and sword. Blenheim Palace is glimpsed in the background with emphasis placed on the Column of Victory, a monument completed in 1730 and topped with a statue of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the DistancePortrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the DistancePortrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the DistancePortrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the DistancePortrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the Distance

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.