The Seven Ages of Man (painting series)
The Seven Ages of Man is a series of seven paintings by English artist Robert Smirke. They are based on Shakespeare’s famous lines from As You Like It, spoken by Jaques: the seven stages of life are infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and old age. The paintings show the journey of life in different forms.
Medium, size and location
- The works are done in pen and ink and oil on panel.
- Each painting measures about 381 mm high by 505 mm wide (15 by 19.88 inches).
- They are part of the Yale Center for British Art collection, though they are not usually on display.
History
- Smirke painted them between 1798 and 1801 for John and Josiah Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery in London.
- Engravings based on Smirke’s paintings by Peltro William Tomkins, John Ogborne, Robert Thew, Peter Simon the Younger and William Satchwell Leney were included in the gallery’s folio edition of Shakespeare’s works.
What the seven ages show
- Infant: a newborn, crying in the nurse’s arms.
- Schoolboy: a reluctant child with a satchel, heading to school.
- Lover: a young man in love, often shown with imagery of Cupid and romantic longing.
- Soldier: bold and eager for glory, ready for danger.
- Justice: a mature, respected official, full of seriousness and wisdom.
- Pantaloon: an old man, lean and slipping, with signs of aging.
- Old age: the final stage of life, described as a second childishness and oblivion, with diminished senses and strength.
Overall, the series presents life’s progression from birth to old age, illustrated through Smirke’s detailed drawings and paintings.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:12 (CET).