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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1650

Thomas Hobbes, Philosopher, after David Beck

David Beck · c. 1650

An oil portrait of Hobbes as an older man, based on a painting by David Beck, dated to around 1650.

This portrait, based on David Beck's work, depicts Hobbes around the time of his major philosophical writings.

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Oil portrait of an older man with long grey hair and a grey moustache, wearing a black doublet with a white lace collar and tassel at the neck. A coat of arms with red and gold heraldry sits at upper left against a dark background.
Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, after David Beck, c. 1650.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait shows Thomas Hobbes as an older man with long grey hair and a grey moustache, wearing a black doublet with a white lace collar. A coat of arms appears at the upper left. It is based on a work by the painter David Beck and is dated from around 1650.

Why it matters

This portrait was made around the time Hobbes was writing and publishing his most famous political works, including Leviathan. The inclusion of a coat of arms suggests the painting was meant to present Hobbes as a figure of status and learning, connected to patrons or noble families of the period.

Look closer

  • What does the coat of arms in the corner tell us about who commissioned or valued this portrait?
  • How does Hobbes's clothing and expression compare to other portraits of him?
  • Why might artists repeatedly copy or base new portraits on earlier ones like Beck's?

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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