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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1650

Thomas Hobbes, 1588–1679, Philosopher

David Beck · c. 1650

An oil portrait of Hobbes in his early sixties, painted by David Beck around the time Leviathan was published.

This portrait depicts Hobbes himself, painted around the time his famous work Leviathan appeared.

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Oil portrait of an older man with long, graying hair and a thin mustache, wearing a black doublet with a white lace collar and a silver-white tassel at the chest. A coat of arms with red and white shields appears at the upper left against a dark background.
David Beck, Thomas Hobbes, c. 1650. National Galleries of Scotland.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Thomas Hobbes was painted by David Beck around 1650. It is held by the National Galleries of Scotland.

Why it matters

The portrait shows Hobbes in his early sixties, around the time his most famous work, Leviathan, was published. Portraits like this helped record the appearance and status of important thinkers for later generations, and the coat of arms included in the painting may point to Hobbes's connections or patronage.

Look closer

  • What does Hobbes's clothing and the coat of arms suggest about his status at this time?
  • Why might an artist choose a dark background for a portrait like this?
  • What can and can't a painted portrait tell us about a person's ideas?

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

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'.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

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

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