Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1750

Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician, engraved portrait

Anonymous · 1750

An anonymous 1750 engraved portrait of Newton made after his death to honor him as a mathematician.

A commemorative portrait of Newton created decades after his death, showing his lasting reputation.

Ask Isaac Newton about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Painted monochrome panel on a red background showing a central bust of a man with short hair and a draped garment, framed by a laurel wreath with three stars above. An eagle perches at upper left. Two seated robed figures flank the bust, one at left holding a tablet, one at right holding a stylus. The base reads 'ISAAC NEWTON EQUES'.
Anonymous, Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician, engraved portrait, 1750.

About this source

What it is

This is an anonymous engraved portrait dated 1750, made more than twenty years after Newton's death. It shows a bust of Newton framed by a laurel wreath and stars, flanked by two robed figures holding a tablet and stylus, with the inscription "ISAAC NEWTON EQUES" at the base.

Why it matters

Because it was made after Newton died, this image is not a direct likeness from life but a commemorative tribute. The symbolic details — laurel, stars, an eagle, and allegorical figures — show how Newton was remembered as a towering intellectual figure whose achievements in mathematics and science were honored with the kind of imagery once reserved for classical heroes.

Look closer

  • What do the laurel wreath, stars, and eagle suggest about how Newton was viewed?
  • Who might the two robed figures represent, and why are they included?
  • Why might an artist use symbolic images instead of a realistic portrait?

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

More Isaac Newton sources

Meet the AI Isaac Newton →
Title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton's Principia. Large capitals read PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA, with author credit, Imprimatur by S. Pepys, dated Julii 5, 1686, and London printing by Josephi Streater, Anno MDCLXXXVII.Book

Primary source

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton · 1687

Title page with a page number marked [1] at top, reading PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS Principia MATHEMATICA, followed by the heading Definitiones and Def. I, with a Latin definition of quantity of matter in italic type. Faint bleed-through text from the reverse page is visible.Book

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

Isaac Newton · 1687

Black-and-white line engraving of an elderly man with long, wavy white hair seated in a dark armchair, wearing a dark coat, waistcoat, and white cravat, with his hands resting on his knee. A column appears at the right. Inscribed beneath: 'ISAACUS NEWTON EQ. AUR. ÆT. 83', with 'I. Vanderbank pinxit 1725' at lower left and 'Geo. Vertue Sculpsit 1726' at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

Engraved diagram on a cream page within a book, showing a curved comet path from Sol at left, with dated positions such as Nov. 25, Dec. 12, Jan. 5 and Mar. 5, labeled orbit lines and a sphere intersection line.Document

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Fold-out Diagram

Isaac Newton · 1687

Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, a man with long curled wig and dark robe, bust-length, against a shaded background. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and publisher 'William Collins Glasgow & London'.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by J. Scott after Kneller, 1702

J. Scott, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1702 (print made later)

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Isaac Newton now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions