Coriolanus: "The God of Soldiers, to shame invulnerable..." (Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Act 5)

Art Historical Context

This evocative print, titled *Coriolanus: "The God of Soldiers, to shame inv..."* from Shakespeare's *Coriolanus* (Act 5), captures a moment of vulnerability in the Roman general's tragic downfall. Designed by the acclaimed neoclassical painter Angelica Kmann—one of the few women elected to London's Royal Academy—and brilliantly engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi, it was published by James Birch on November 3, 1785. The scene likely features Coriolanus amid his family, including women and children, as suggested by the tags, highlighting themes of duty, honor, and maternal persuasion that resonated in 18th-century Britain. Crafted as an etching and stipple engraving, the work employs Bartolozzi's mastery of dotted tones to achieve soft, luminous effects mimicking Kauffmann's elegant, painterly style. Measuring 14 x 17 5/16 inches in its oval image, this reproductive print made Shakespearean theater accessible to a wider audience beyond the stage, fueling the era's Bardolatry—a cultural obsession with the playwright. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Miss Bertha P. Dennis, 1946), it exemplifies how visual arts immortalized literature during the Enlightenment, blending classical antiquity with contemporary sentiment for enduring appeal.

About the Artist

Francesco Bartolozzi|Angelica Kauffmann|James Birchall|William Shakespeare · 1727–1815

Francesco Bartolozzi (1727–1815) was an Italian engraver whose most productive period was spent in London, where he became the leading exponent of stipple engraving and a founding member of the Royal Academy. Born in Florence and trained first as a painter before turning to engraving in Venice, he established his reputation in Rome before being recruited by the English Royal Librarian Richard Dalt...