M. David Hume
Medium
engraving on laid paper [second state]
Dimensions
plate: 19.4 x 14.5 cm (7 5/8 x 5 11/16 in.) sheet: 23.1 x 17.4 cm (9 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John O'Brien
Accession Number
1990.56.3
Art Historical Context
This 1764 engraving presents a portrait of the Scottish philosopher David Hume, a leading figure of the Enlightenment whose writings on reason, human nature, and skepticism influenced generations of thinkers. Created by Simon Charles Miger after a design by the esteemed French draftsman Charles-Nicolas Cochin II, the print captures Hume at the height of his intellectual career. As an engraving on laid paper, it belongs to a tradition of reproductive prints that made portraits of notable individuals accessible beyond the elite circles who could afford original paintings or drawings. The second...