Oliver Cromwell the Night Before His Death
Oil Painting
ca. 1867 (painted)
ca. 1867 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The painter and photographer David Wilkie Wynfield (1837-1887) was one of a group of artists known as the St John’s Wood Clique (or School), after the suburb in north London in which they chose to live. Everyone in the group had attended the art school run by James Mathew Leigh and other members included: William Frederick Yeames, Philip Hermogenes Calderon, George Dunlop Leslie, Henry Stacy Marks, George Adolphus Storey, and John Evan Hodgson. With the exception of Leslie, everyone in the Clique specialised in what is now called ‘historical genre’, paintings set broadly within medieval and Renaissance times featuring historical, domestic, or romantic incident.
This oil painting of Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was exhibited as ‘Oliver Cromwell The Night Before His Death’ in 1867 at the Royal Academy of Art. It is based on a passage in the writings of Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), the nineteenth-century author, biographer, and historian. Solemn subjects such as this were typical of Wynfield’s work.
The painting was part of an extensive collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings bequeathed to the V&A by John Forster (1812-1876) in 1876.
This oil painting of Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was exhibited as ‘Oliver Cromwell The Night Before His Death’ in 1867 at the Royal Academy of Art. It is based on a passage in the writings of Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), the nineteenth-century author, biographer, and historian. Solemn subjects such as this were typical of Wynfield’s work.
The painting was part of an extensive collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings bequeathed to the V&A by John Forster (1812-1876) in 1876.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting on canvas, 'The Deathbed of Cromwell; Ministers at Prayer in an Adjoining Room - Whitehall Friday 3rd September 1658', David Wilkie Wynfield, ca. 1867 |
| Physical description | Oliver Cromwell lies in a curtained, four-poster bed, his shoulders and head propped up by pillows. His hands are clasped over a book with the title 'Holy Bible'. He gazes upwards. Two women kneel in prayer at the foot of the bed. To the far left of the image is some sort of stand with an ornate jug on it. Next to this is an armchair pulled up to the side of the bed. The room has wooden panelling and two paintings can be seen hanging on the far wall. To the right of the image two steps lead up to another room off the main bed chamber. The door is open and two men stand in its shadow. Behind them can be seen a group of four men kneeling in prayer. Thirteen paintings are visible on the walls of the chamber and two light fittings with candles hang from the ceiling. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Forster |
| Object history | Bequeathed by John Forster, 1876 |
| Production | When Wynfield exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1867 it had the title 'Oliver Cromwell The Night Before His Death'. It has since been listed in the Summary catalogue of British Paintings, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973 as 'The Deathbed of Cromwell; Ministers at Prayer in an Adjoining Room - Whitehall Friday 3rd September 1658' |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Thomas Carlyle (probably a passage from <i>The Life and Letters of Oliver Cromwell</i>, 1845) |
| Summary | The painter and photographer David Wilkie Wynfield (1837-1887) was one of a group of artists known as the St John’s Wood Clique (or School), after the suburb in north London in which they chose to live. Everyone in the group had attended the art school run by James Mathew Leigh and other members included: William Frederick Yeames, Philip Hermogenes Calderon, George Dunlop Leslie, Henry Stacy Marks, George Adolphus Storey, and John Evan Hodgson. With the exception of Leslie, everyone in the Clique specialised in what is now called ‘historical genre’, paintings set broadly within medieval and Renaissance times featuring historical, domestic, or romantic incident. This oil painting of Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was exhibited as ‘Oliver Cromwell The Night Before His Death’ in 1867 at the Royal Academy of Art. It is based on a passage in the writings of Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), the nineteenth-century author, biographer, and historian. Solemn subjects such as this were typical of Wynfield’s work. The painting was part of an extensive collection of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings bequeathed to the V&A by John Forster (1812-1876) in 1876. |
| Bibliographic reference | Rogers, David, For King or Parliament: Attitudes of 19th Century Painters to the Civil War, Wolverhampton: Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 1978. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | F.44 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 15, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
