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Primary sourcePainting1664

Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Author of 'Leviathan'

Jan Baptist Jaspers · 1664

A 1664 portrait of Hobbes attributed to Jan Baptist Jaspers, held at St John's College, Cambridge, where Hobbes studied.

This portrait commemorates Hobbes as the famous author of Leviathan at his old college.

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Oil portrait of an older bald man with long grey hair and a thin moustache, wearing a dark coat and a pale white collar. Inscribed at upper left: THOMAS HOBBES, ANNO DOMINI 1664.
Attributed to Jan Baptist Jaspers, Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Author of 'Leviathan,' 1664. St John's College, Cambridge.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait, attributed to Jan Baptist Jaspers and dated 1664, depicts Thomas Hobbes, identified as the author of Leviathan. It is held at St John's College, Cambridge, where Hobbes took his degree.

Why it matters

This painting commemorates Hobbes's connection to St John's College and his lasting fame as the author of Leviathan, one of the most influential works of political philosophy. It shows how institutions chose to remember and honor him long after his studies there.

Look closer

  • Why might St John's College want a portrait of Hobbes decades after he studied there?
  • What does the inscription naming him with his book title suggest about how he was remembered?
  • What is missing from a formal portrait like this about who Hobbes really was?

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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