The Father’s Grave
John Callcott Horsley, 1817-1903
Exhibited Royal Academy 1843 (no. 220)
Oil on canvas
Source: Illustrated London News
Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Review in Illustrated London News
The eye that lent thee light,
The lip that poured its passion in thine ear.
Have left their germ of promise; but as yet
Thy chastened heart is bowed upon the grave,
Hope lies m shadow cast by memory.
The “new-made widow” is proverbially “a sad sight” but here sits one whose sorrows are illumined with bright hopes of the majority of her fatherless boy, and whose sadness melts in the aspirations of her faith. It is a picture which addresses itself to the lenderest feelings of the human heart, and it is calculated to make a permanently moral impression upon them. The drawing, colouring, expression, and selection of accessories are equally excellent, and the finish and keeping deserve great praise. It appears to have been an object with the painter to give an impression of a thoroughly English scene, with all the attributes of an English village” (356).
Bibliography
“Ehibiition of the Royal Academy.” Illustrated London News 2 (1843): 355-56. Hathi Trust online version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 13 June 2021.
Victorian
Web
Artists
J. C.
Horsley
Created 13 June 2021