Queen Katherine and Patience
Oil Painting
1842 (exhibited)
1842 (exhibited)
| Artist/Maker |
Object Type
Oil paintings with subjects taken from popular literature steadily replaced commissions for history paintings in the early 19th century. The public, and most collectors of modern works, began to prefer lighter, sometimes more sentimental, themes. However, as well as painting scenes from humorous literature, Leslie also chose sombre subjects like this one.
Subjects Depicted
Since the end of the 18th century there had been a massive revival of interest in the works of Shakespeare, and many artists exhibited paintings that illustrated scenes from his plays. Here Leslie depicts Act III, Scene 1 from Henry VIII. The picture shows Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon (Shakespeare's 'Queen Katharine'), in a melancholy mood because of the King's growing estrangement. When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842, a quotation from the play, as well as the title of the picture, was given in the catalogue.
People
Although Leslie based his representation of Queen Katherine on contemporary portraits, he was not strictly archaeological. Like most of his fellow artists in the 1840s, he tended to mingle various styles and periods. What we would now regard as separate historical styles, and identify as 'late medieval', 'Renaissance', 'Jacobean' and so on, artists then saw as one style, which they simply called 'Old English'.
Oil paintings with subjects taken from popular literature steadily replaced commissions for history paintings in the early 19th century. The public, and most collectors of modern works, began to prefer lighter, sometimes more sentimental, themes. However, as well as painting scenes from humorous literature, Leslie also chose sombre subjects like this one.
Subjects Depicted
Since the end of the 18th century there had been a massive revival of interest in the works of Shakespeare, and many artists exhibited paintings that illustrated scenes from his plays. Here Leslie depicts Act III, Scene 1 from Henry VIII. The picture shows Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon (Shakespeare's 'Queen Katharine'), in a melancholy mood because of the King's growing estrangement. When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842, a quotation from the play, as well as the title of the picture, was given in the catalogue.
People
Although Leslie based his representation of Queen Katherine on contemporary portraits, he was not strictly archaeological. Like most of his fellow artists in the 1840s, he tended to mingle various styles and periods. What we would now regard as separate historical styles, and identify as 'late medieval', 'Renaissance', 'Jacobean' and so on, artists then saw as one style, which they simply called 'Old English'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Queen Katherine and Patience (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting depicting Queen Katharine and Patience, from Henry VIII by Shakespeare, Charles Robert Leslie, 1839 |
| Physical description | Queen Katharine and Patience (Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act III Scene) |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857 |
| Object history | Commissioned by John Sheepshanks and given to the Museum in 1857. Painted by Charles Robert Leslie RA (1794-1859) |
| Production | Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act III Scene |
| Summary | Object Type Oil paintings with subjects taken from popular literature steadily replaced commissions for history paintings in the early 19th century. The public, and most collectors of modern works, began to prefer lighter, sometimes more sentimental, themes. However, as well as painting scenes from humorous literature, Leslie also chose sombre subjects like this one. Subjects Depicted Since the end of the 18th century there had been a massive revival of interest in the works of Shakespeare, and many artists exhibited paintings that illustrated scenes from his plays. Here Leslie depicts Act III, Scene 1 from Henry VIII. The picture shows Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon (Shakespeare's 'Queen Katharine'), in a melancholy mood because of the King's growing estrangement. When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842, a quotation from the play, as well as the title of the picture, was given in the catalogue. People Although Leslie based his representation of Queen Katherine on contemporary portraits, he was not strictly archaeological. Like most of his fellow artists in the 1840s, he tended to mingle various styles and periods. What we would now regard as separate historical styles, and identify as 'late medieval', 'Renaissance', 'Jacobean' and so on, artists then saw as one style, which they simply called 'Old English'. |
| Bibliographic reference | Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, pp. 169-70 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FA.122[O] |
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| Record created | March 13, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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