John Milton
1 portrait of John Milton
© National Portrait Gallery, London
John Milton
by Jacobus Houbraken, published by John & Paul Knapton
line engraving, published 1741
14 7/8 in. x 9 1/2 in. (379 mm x 240 mm) plate size; 16 1/8 in. x 11 3/8 in. (411 mm x 289 mm) paper size
Acquired, 1929
Reference Collection
NPG D38835
Artistsback to top
- Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 435 portraits.
- John & Paul Knapton (active 1735-1789), Booksellers and publishers. Artist or producer associated with 290 portraits.
Related worksback to top
- NPG 4222: John Milton (source portrait)
- NPG D42924: John Milton (from same plate)
Events of 1741back to top
Current affairs
Motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Robert Walpole is followed by a general election. Walpole's majority is reduced to less than twenty and he suffers defeat in seven divisions.Opening of the Foundling Hospital, London, to aid homeless and abandoned children.
Art and science
Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is appointed head gardener at Stowe, where he works with the architect William Kent.Actor David Garrick makes his debut on the London stage in Richard III.
Henry Fielding publishes An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews satirising Samuel Richardson's best-selling novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.
International
War of the Austrian Succession: Admiral Edward Vernon leads an unsuccessful attack on Spanish stronghold of Cartagena. Frederick II's Prussian army defeats the Austrians at Mollwitz, securing his hold on most of Silesia. French and Bavarian forces enter Prague.Composer Johann Sebastian Bach publishes his set of Goldberg Variations, supposedly written for performance by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg.
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