Mr. Kean in the Character of Richard the Third

Mr. Kean in the Character of Richard the Third

George Cruikshank

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kean, in character as Richard III, holds a sword in the air with his right hand, adopts a lunging stance and holds his other hand across his chest. His crown lies on the ground at left, indicating that the scene is the Battle of Bosworth, where Richard was unhorsed, forced to fight on foot, and then killed.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mr. Kean in the Character of Richard the ThirdMr. Kean in the Character of Richard the ThirdMr. Kean in the Character of Richard the ThirdMr. Kean in the Character of Richard the ThirdMr. Kean in the Character of Richard the Third

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.