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Granville Sharp the Abolitionist Rescuing a Slave from the Hands of His Master
Oil Painting
1864 (made)
1864 (made)
| Artist/Maker |
James Hayllar (1829-1920) was a successful painter best known for his portraits and his genre paintings of children. This painting depicts the prominent abolitionist and author Granville Sharp (1735-1813). The painting refers to an event in 1765 which triggered Sharp's interest in Abolition. In 1765 Sharp met Jonathan Strong, an enslaved person seeking treatment for injuries sustained at the hands of his owner. Sharp took up Strong's case and secured his release from prison when he was arrested as an escaped enslaved person. Following this success Sharp began to research the legal status of enslaved people in Britain (as opposed to in British colonies) and argued on behalf of a number of enslaved people in court, hence the legal setting of this painting.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Granville Sharp the Abolitionist Rescuing a Slave from the Hands of His Master (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting, Granville Sharp advocating for an enslaved person, by James Hayllar, 1864. |
| Physical description | Painting depicting a scene within a court with multiple figures. Granville Sharp is depicted placing his hand on the shoulder of another figure, advocating for the enslaved person on the right. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Note Signed and dated 1864 |
| Credit line | Given by W. Hargreaves |
| Object history | Given by W. Hargreaves, 1874 |
| Summary | James Hayllar (1829-1920) was a successful painter best known for his portraits and his genre paintings of children. This painting depicts the prominent abolitionist and author Granville Sharp (1735-1813). The painting refers to an event in 1765 which triggered Sharp's interest in Abolition. In 1765 Sharp met Jonathan Strong, an enslaved person seeking treatment for injuries sustained at the hands of his owner. Sharp took up Strong's case and secured his release from prison when he was arrested as an escaped enslaved person. Following this success Sharp began to research the legal status of enslaved people in Britain (as opposed to in British colonies) and argued on behalf of a number of enslaved people in court, hence the legal setting of this painting. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Arthur Torrington, ed. Equiano: Enslavement, resistance and abolition Birmingham: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, 2007. ISBN: 0709302575 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1-1874 |
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| Record created | October 26, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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