Don Luigi's Ball
Medium
Hand-colored etching and aquatint
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 9/16 × 9 1/16 in. (14.2 × 23 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.1621(7)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively whirl of Regency-era London with *Don Luigi's Ball*, hand-colored etching and aquint created by Lewis Engelbach, published by Rudolph Ackermann in London, and featuring the satirical flair of Thomas Rowlandson. June 1, 1815, this petite print (just 5 9/16 × 9 1/16 inches) captures a boisterous ballroom scene amid Britain's post-Napoleonic celebrations, where social revelry often masked sharp social commentary. Rowlandson, a master of caricature, populates the composition with men and women in mid-dance, accompanied by musicians, their exaggerated forms and vibrant hand-coloring evoking the chaotic energy of high-society gatherings. Aquatint's soft tonal gradients, combined with etching's crisp lines and meticulous coloring, lend a jewel-like quality, making this affordable print a window into popular entertainment. Ackermann's Repository of Arts popularized such vignettes, blending art with fashion and satire for middle-class audiences. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department from the Elisha Whittelsey Collection, *Don Luigi's Ball* exemplifies early 19th-century British printmaking's cultural punch—witty, accessible, and enduringly fun.
About the Artist
Lewis Engelbach|Rudolph Ackermann, London|Thomas Rowlandson (British|British|British) · 1764 |1715 |1757 –1834 |1815 |1827
British, active 1794–1829|British|British, London 1757–1827 London