Cruelty in Perfection (The Four Stages of Cruelty) — William Hogarth | DiscoverArt

William Hogarth

Cruelty in Perfection (The Four Stages of Cruelty)

February 1, 1751

Etching and engraving; only state

31.6 × 31.8 cm (12.4 × 12.5 in)

SEE IT IN PERSON

In the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — check current display status with the museum.

View at metmuseum.org ↗︎Plan a visit ↗︎

Discover

Your feed Blog Museums & galleries Saved works

You

Account Community guidelines

DiscoverArt

A taste-graph discovery engine for art. Every work shown is a real object in a real museum — artwork images courtesy of their institutions’ open-access programs.

© Discover Art 2026Terms of Use Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Discussion

Be the first to share your thoughts.

Sign in to join the discussion.

More by William Hogarth

A Scene from The Beggar's Opera

A Scene from The Beggar's Opera

The Wedding of Stephen Beckingham and Mary Cox

The Wedding of Stephen Beckingham and Mary Cox

Time Smoking a Picture

Time Smoking a Picture

Sarah Malcolm

Credulity, Superstition, and Fanaticism

Credulity, Superstition, and Fanaticism

Paul Before Felix Burlesqued

Paul Before Felix Burlesqued

More like this

Cruelty in Perfection

John Bell|William Hogarth|Boydell and Co. — Cruelty in Perfe

The Four Times of Day: Night

William Hogarth (British, 1697–1764) — The Four Times of Day

A Rake's Progress, Plate 4

William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley — A Rake's Progress, Plate

Clinker Preaching in Clerkenwell Prison, an illustration from Tobias Smollett's "The Expedition of Humphry Clinker" (London, 1793), Vol. 1

Thomas Rowlandson|Charles Grignion, I|James Sibbald — Clinke

The Four Times of Day: Night

William Hogarth (British, 1697–1764) — The Four Times of Day

A Rake's Progress, Plate 4

Dent|Richard Corbould|William Hogarth — A Rake's Progress, P

A Rake's Progress, Plate 4

William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley — A Rake's Progress, Plate

The First Stage of Cruelty

William Hogarth|Dent — The First Stage of Cruelty

A Rake's Progress, Plate 6

William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley — A Rake's Progress, Plate

A Rake's Progress, Plate 6

William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley — A Rake's Progress, Plate

The Four Times of Day: Noon

William Hogarth (British, 1697–1764) — The Four Times of Day

A Rake's Progress, Plate 4

William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley — A Rake's Progress, Plate