Martin Folkes

Martin Folkes is a significant etched and engraved portrait created by William Hogarth in 1742. This impression represents the definitive fourth state of four, highlighting Hogarth’s precise development of the image through multiple stages of etching and engraving. The work captures the likeness of Martin Folkes (1690-1754), a celebrated English mathematician, antiquarian, and the President of the Royal Society from 1741 until his death.

Folkes was a prominent figure in the British Enlightenment, embodying the blend of scientific curiosity and classical scholarship prized by Georgian society. Unlike some of the artist's highly charged social satires, this piece is a formal yet direct presentation of an eminent man, reflecting the significant demand for authoritative portraits among London’s intellectual elite. Hogarth, a master of the printmaking medium, utilized fine cross-hatching and varied line weight inherent in the engraving process to create a sense of depth and dignity appropriate for the subject’s stature.

The classification of this piece as a print underscores its potential for mass reproducibility and impact; such portraits were vital for disseminating the images of powerful men across England and beyond. Hogarth's ability to render realistic portraits, while maximizing the commercial potential of prints, cemented his status as a key eighteenth-century artist. The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses this exemplary piece in its collection. High-quality reproductions of historically important artworks like Martin Folkes are often made available through the museum’s public domain collections, ensuring continued scholarly access to these eighteenth-century masterworks.