A Greek Patriarchal Crown – Tiara Patriarchalis Graeca (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. I, plate 9)

A Greek Patriarchal Crown – Tiara Patriarchalis Graeca (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. I, plate 9) is a significant early illustrative work by William Hogarth. Created between 1723 and 1724, this etching and engraving was commissioned for Antoine de La Mottraye's detailed two-volume travelogue, documenting customs and artifacts across Europe and Asia. The precise rendering required for such publications helped develop the technical skill that Hogarth would later apply to his famous sequential narrative prints.

The work focuses intently on the Tiara Patriarchalis Graeca, the ceremonial headgear of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Hogarth meticulously charts the opulent detail and ornamentation of the crown, creating an artifact study that bridges documentation with artistic sensibility. The composition is flanked by two small, active putti figures that support the crown, lending an allegorical weight to the object being illustrated. This Baroque framing device situates the documentation firmly within the visual conventions of early eighteenth-century European prints, elevating the diagrammatic drawing into a work of art.

This impression represents the rare first state of three, confirming its importance as a record of Hogarth’s early engagement with printmaking commissions before he focused primarily on satirical and moral subjects. The piece offers invaluable insight into the artist’s foundational professional practice as an illustrator for scholarly texts. Today, this historical print is preserved within the esteemed collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, contributing to the museum’s comprehensive holdings of British prints and drawings. Due to its age, the image is considered part of the public domain, yet this specific example remains a vital artifact for Hogarth scholarship.