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Secondary sourcePainting

Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

An undated engraved portrait of Hobbes shown in an oval frame with a Latin inscription of his name.

An undated engraved portrait of Hobbes, used to show how his image was reproduced and circulated after his lifetime.

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Line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, a man with long wavy hair, a large white collar, and dark robes, shown in an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below is a Latin inscription and the printer's line 'London, Printed for Will. Crooke'.
Thomas Hobbes, line engraving, undated. Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom.

About this source

What it is

This is a line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, showing a man with long wavy hair and a large white collar in dark robes, set within an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below the portrait is a Latin inscription and a printer's line naming Will. Crooke of London. The print is undated, so its exact maker and year are not known. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

Portrait engravings like this circulated images of well-known writers to the reading public, helping fix how a figure like Hobbes looked and was remembered after his lifetime, even though we cannot be certain exactly when this one was made.

Look closer

  • What details in the clothing and hair suggest the period the engraving was made?
  • Why might a printer, Will. Crooke, have included his own name on a portrait of Hobbes?
  • Why does the lack of a date make this a less certain source than a dated print?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hobbes on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Engraved title page of Hobbes's Leviathan: a giant crowned figure made of many tiny people holds a sword and crozier over a landscape of hills and a city. Below, a central banner bears the title and author's name, flanked by vignettes of castle, church, crown, mitre, cannon, weapons, battle, and a council.Book

Primary source

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes · 1651

Engraved frontispiece of the 1642 Paris edition of Hobbes's De Cive. Top panel shows a crowded scene of figures in clouds and a fiery landscape with a winged angel and a group of people. Bottom panel has a central banner titled Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Tertia De Cive with Latin text, flanked by a crowned female figure holding scales labeled Imperium and a figure with a bow and spear labeled Libertas, with a landscape and the word Religio across the middle.Book

Primary source

De Cive

Thomas Hobbes · 1642

Book

Primary source

The Elements of Law

Thomas Hobbes · 1640

Engraved title page reading 'The Workes of Homer Engl: by T: Hobbes', with a bust of Homer above, two armoured warriors with spears flanking the title, and an oval portrait of Hobbes below. Imprint reads London, printed for W. Crooke, 1677.Artifact

Secondary source

Title Page of The Workes of Homer, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

1677

Oil portrait of an older man with long grey hair, a receding hairline, moustache and small grey beard, wearing a dark coat and a white collar against a dark background, one hand visible at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Thomas Hobbes

John Michael Wright · 1650

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