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Primary sourcePainting1664

Thomas Hobbes Malmesburiensis

Unknown artist · 1664

A lifetime engraved portrait of Hobbes, identifying him by his hometown of Malmesbury.

This lifetime engraving is a rare surviving image of Hobbes made while he was alive, identifying him by his hometown.

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Engraved oval portrait of a older man with wavy shoulder-length hair, mustache and beard, wearing a broad collar and dark cloak, inside an ornate oval frame. Inscription below reads Thomas Hobbes Malmesburiensis, Aetatis suae 76, with a colour checker and scale bar beside it.
Unknown artist, Thomas Hobbes Malmesburiensis, 1664. Welsh Portrait Collection, National Library of Wales.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1664 engraved oval portrait of Thomas Hobbes, made during his own lifetime by an unknown artist. It is held in the Welsh Portrait Collection at the National Library of Wales.

Why it matters

The inscription names Hobbes by his hometown epithet 'Malmesburiensis' and gives his age as 76, showing how his identity was tied to his birthplace even late in his career. Portraits like this helped circulate the image of controversial thinkers such as Hobbes among the public.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist have included the Latin inscription naming Hobbes's hometown?
  • What does the clothing and setting suggest about how Hobbes wanted to be seen?
  • What is missing from a portrait that a written biography could tell us?

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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