England, 17th century / c. 1660
Portrait of Thomas Hobbes
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of Thomas Hobbes as portrait miniature (England, 17th century · c. 1660).
A replica of Cleveland’s miniature was painted by Lady Margaret Bingham, Countess of Lucan.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this portrait miniature as watercolor on vellum in a gilt metal frame and credits Samuel Cooper (British, 1608/09–1672).
The museum's collection notes: In his seventies when the portrait was painted, Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) is turned slightly to his left, his eyes directed at the spectator. He has thin gray hair extending to his collar and a gray mustache and goatee. Only his head is finished; a thin gray wash loosely describes a plain, flat collar. Hobbes was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. In spite of humble parentage, he rose to prominence as a brilliant linguist and author of the 1651 book Leviathan , a seminal work of social contract theory that advocated for government led by a strong sovereign. As a royalist he was forced to flee England when the civil war broke out in 1642, and he r
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of Thomas HobbesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.