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Primary sourcePainting1726

Sir Isaac Newton, mezzotint by J. Faber junior, 1726, after Vanderbank

J. Faber junior, after John Vanderbank · 1726

A mezzotint portrait of Newton made in 1726, copying John Vanderbank's painting, from Newton's own lifetime.

A lifetime mezzotint portrait of Newton based on Vanderbank's painting.

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Mezzotint portrait of Isaac Newton seated in a high-backed chair beside a classical column, wearing a dark coat with buttons, white cravat and cuffs, long wavy hair, hands resting on his lap. Inscribed 'Isaacus Newton Equ' along the bottom.
J. Faber junior, Sir Isaac Newton (after John Vanderbank, 1725), mezzotint, 1726. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This mezzotint by J. Faber junior was made in 1726, based on a 1725 portrait of Isaac Newton painted by John Vanderbank. It shows Newton seated beside a classical column, wearing a dark coat. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

Because it dates from Newton's final years, this print offers a contemporary record of how he looked and how artists chose to present him — seated, dignified, surrounded by symbols of learning like the column. It shows how portraits of great scholars were multiplied through printmaking.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist include a classical column in the background?
  • What does Newton's relaxed pose suggest about the image the artist wanted to create?
  • How does this print compare with other portraits of Newton made around the same time?

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.

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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