Only monarchs, and perhaps a few noblemen, surpassed Newton
in the number of
times they commissioned portraits of themselves.
The numerous engravings based
on those paintings (this one, after
John Vanderbank’s 1725 portrait, was
the frontispiece to a 1726
edition of the
Principia) helped make Newton
a cultural
icon.
– Science,
Industry and Business Library, NYPL
image id: ps_sibl_cd28_469
