A portrait of the great 18th-century actor David Garrick in one of his most famous roles: Shakespeare’s Richard III. In this painting the King is depicted in his tent on Bosworth field the night before the battle. He suddenly starts up from bad dreams: “the lights burn blue! Is it not dead midnight? Cold fearful drops hang upon my trembling flesh ...” A sinister note lies crumpled beneath his helmet. It says that the King has been betrayed by elements of his army, and is doomed. Hogarth was a close friend of Garrick and probably undertook this portrait as a publicity venture. It is significant both as the first great British theatrical portrait, and because of its appearance as a history painting. The viewer is encouraged to think that the actual historical event is happening, rather than a performance on stage.
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