The Good Shepherd, by Sir Joseph Noel Paton, RSA

The Good Shepherd

Sir Joseph Noel Paton, RSA

1884-85

The Sandringham Museum

This is the right wing of a triptych. Like the left wing (Man of Sorrows, it is a replica of a larger original, all three having been commissioned by Queen Victoria for the private chapel at Osborne on the Isle of Wight, and installed there in 1885. They were later given by Queen Mary to St Mary's Church, Anmer, near Sandringham in Norfolk, but brought to nearby Sandringham House in 1985, when they were found to be deteriorating because of the damp. They have been restored, and remain there for the time being; the church now displays only copies of the works. [Commentary continues below.]

Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee, with thanks to the museum for allowing photography. Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links,

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According to Richard A. Schindler, the three paintings in the triptych represent the culmination of Paton's interest in "Protestant issues of personal faith" (119), this one showing Jesus as the protector of the Christian flock. Paton's religious paintings were perceived both by himself and the public as educative, spiritually enlightening. According to the Art Journal,

Sir Noël tells us that in "The Great Shepherd" [as it was also known] his aim was to illustrate — as far as in him lay — the shepherd’s love for the lamb, as expressed in the exquisitely tender words of Isaiah: "He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom"; and nobly, indeed, has he carried out his intention.... the life-size figure of Christ occupies the centre of the canvas, and is a remarkable study. The expression of the features is that of unbounded compassion for the wandering lamb which has been recovered, and which is being carried safely in the Redeemer’s arms. In one hand he grasps the pastoral crook, and while his head is encircled by a crown of thorns and surrounded bv a brilliant halo, his hands and feet bear the print of the nails of Calvary. The lamb rests its head confidingly upon the shepherd’s shoulder, and looks towards the rocky waste, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, from which it has been rescued only just before the fall of night. The whole is a beautiful allegory. The treatment of the Saviour is very noble; while the drawing and composition are alike excellent. [113]

This painting seems to have been the Queen's favourite, for the Art Journal notes that the original had been been dedicated to her, at her own request (see 113).

Related Material

Bibliography

Schindler, Richard A. "Sir Noel Paton and the Grail Quest: The Arthurian Mythos as Christian Art." The Arthurian Revival: Essays on Form, Tradition, and Transformation. Ed. Debra Mancoff. New ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2015. 115-31.

"Sir Joseph Noël Paton, His Life and Work." Art Journal. Vol. 57 (1895). 97-128. Internet Archive. Contributed by the Getty Research Institute. Web. 3 October 2018.

Created 4 October 2018