Mr. Alexander Pope

Date1717

After work by Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723)

Engraver John Smith ca. 1652 - ca. 1742

OriginEngland, London

MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 14 × 10 1/8 in (35.56 × 25.72cm)
Other (Platemark): 13 9/16 × 9 3/4 in (34.45 × 24.76cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1936-733

DescriptionLower margin reads: "M.r Alexander Pope AEt.s 28./ G. Kneller S.R.Imp. et Mag. Brit. Baronet.s Pinx. 1716./ J. Smith fec. et ex. 1717"Label TextOver the course of his life, poet and satirist Alexander Pope's portrait was painted 60 times. Paintings of Pope (1688-1744) and the engravings that reproduced them mainly circulated within a closed network of elite acquaintances and patrons. He criticized the pursuit of fame and the fascination that celebrity held for the public, yet he played an active role in the publication of his image by carefully selecting the engravings used in the front of his books. Pope’s notoriety and the availability of his image actually increased after his death. Many of Pope’s works are still quoted today, including one of his most famous lines: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” ProvenanceBefore 1936, Robert Dunthrone & Son Ltd (London, England); 1936-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)