John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford

James Parker

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Valiant service as an English general during the reign of King Henry VI led John Talbot to become known as “Terror of the French” and “English Achilles.” Derived from a painted portrait at Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire this print was created for "Shakespeare Illustrated by an Assemblage of Portraits and Views," published by Edward and Silveser Harding between 1789 and 1793. As a second son, the sitter was born plain John Talbot, but accrued titles through two wives, a cousin, and infant niece, referenced here in the heraldic devices on his mantle.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of WaterfordJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of WaterfordJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of WaterfordJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of WaterfordJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford

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.