William HogarthEnglish, 1697–1764Cruelty in Perfection
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Cruelty in Perfection” now? Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1944.5.38
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Gallery of Art
- Image: National Gallery of Art — Museum open access
In the life of William Hogarth
The whole life1712–1764 · Workplace
London
1749
A country house in Chiswick
In 1749 Hogarth bought a country retreat in Chiswick — now Hogarth’s House, a museum — and spent time there for the rest of his life; his main home remained the house in Leicester Fields (now Leicester Square).
1753
The treatise “The Analysis of Beauty”
In 1753 Hogarth published the treatise “The Analysis of Beauty”, in which he declared the S-shaped “line of beauty” — a serpentine line that conveys life and movement — the basis of harmony, and made it his emblem. His adherents praised the book as a fine statement on aesthetics, while enemies and rivals such as Paul Sandby mocked its obscurities and minor errors in endless caricatures.
![Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/8f29e3c9-a289-4d53-abf0-31a66e9e98fa/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
![Wreath of Laurel, Palm, and Juniper with a Scroll inscribed Virtutem Forma Decorat [reverse], Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/ff62e8d0-45c4-498f-ad36-6358de827e04/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
