Don Quixote and the Knight of the Rock (Six Illustrations for Don Quixote)

Don Quixote and the Knight of the Rock (Six Illustrations for Don Quixote) by William Hogarth is a significant example of 18th-century British printmaking, created in 1756. Classified as a print, the work utilizes the demanding combination of etching and engraving, and this specific impression represents the third and final state of three, indicating the exhaustive technical development Hogarth undertook on the copper plate.

This piece belongs to a complete set of illustrations for Miguel de Cervantes’s influential Spanish novel, Don Quixote, a text highly popular across the European cultural sphere during the mid-18th century. Hogarth’s visual interpretation captures the inherent absurdity and humor of the literary satire. The composition centers on the principal Men involved in a dramatic encounter or moment of mistaken identity that forms a crucial plot point.

Consistent with Hogarth’s style, which often mixed high drama with low reality, the scene includes elements of the mundane. The presence of incidental details, such as the surrounding environment and the appearance of Goats, serve as humorous counterpoints to Don Quixote's grand, delusional illusions. Hogarth, renowned for his detailed moralizing sequences and keen social observation, brought his distinct theatrical energy to these literary illustrations. While many of his iconic prints directly targeted contemporary London society, this project allowed him to demonstrate his mastery over narrative composition within a universally recognized context. As a crucial historical example of illustration and the highest quality in 18th-century prints, this work resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.