A self-portrait etching of the artist John Hamilton Mortimer, wearing a heavy cloak and striped turban, turning to the left and looking over his shoulder.

This etching is based on an oil by Mortimer in the Towner Art Gallery (see Sunderland, 1986: 107c). It also corresponds, in reverse, with a drawing in the Victoria and Albert Museum (E.328-1961).

There is an identical etching in the Royal Collection (RCIN 659153). Their recent research has demonstrated that this etching is printed from an earlier, separate plate from that used to produce a later etched version of the same portrait by Robert Blyth published in 1782. Their online catalogue entry notes 'As well as many differences of detail, the tonalities [of Blyth's print] capture none of the dramatic atmosphere and stark lighting' that we see in this version. They note that 'Mortimer did not make many prints, but in 1775–6 he produced a set of 12 heads of figures from Shakespeare with very much the same character and technique seen here' and conclude that it seems 'that the present plate was etched by Mortimer himself and that Blyth made his own version for publication a few years later'. This is borne out by the provenance of the Soane etchings of the Shakespeare heads presented with this etching as a group, by the artist himself, as Soane records, 'to his friend Mr. Levick'.

Soane's 1832 Description p.23 of a group of works that hang on the main staircase states: The five Characters from Shakespeare [P215-P219: here Soane erroneously includes the self-portrait P218 amongst the Shakespearean characters] by the late John Mortimer, are beautiful specimens of the taste and discrimination of that great Artist. Mr. Mortimer gave these impressions to his friend Mr Levick; at whose death they became the property of his niece, from whom I received them. Miss Levick was a relative of Eliza Soane.

Anna Reynolds, Lucy Peter, Martin Clayton et al, Portrait of the Artist Royal Collection exhibition catalogue, London, 2016, p.191.
For a detailed account of Mortimer's career see John Sunderland, John Hamilton Mortimer His Life and Work, The Volume of the Walpole Society, 1986 (vol. 52)
John Sunderland, 'Mortimer’s Self-Portrait "in Character"', The Burlington Magazine, vol. 111, no 797, 1969, pp.518-521.