Cupid, in the Character of a Link Boy

John Dean British
 After Sir Joshua Reynolds British

Not on view

Dean's print reproduces a painting by Reynolds devoted to a familiar London sight—linkboys who were paid to light pedestrians through dark streets before public lighting became commonplace. One of Reynolds's most loyal patrons, John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799), bought the painting from the artist in 1774, it then remained in the family through the late nineteenth century and is now in the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo. This impression once belonged to to the British painter Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830) as part of a large collection of mezzotints after Reynolds.

Cupid, in the Character of a Link Boy, John Dean (British, 1754–1798 London), Mezzotint; scratched letter proof

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Cupid, in the Character of a Link Boy, John Dean (British, 1754–1798 London), Mezzotint; scratched letter proof
Cupid, in the Character of a Link Boy, John Dean (British, 1754–1798 London), Mezzotint; scratched letter proof

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.