(Above)The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833). © the National Gallery, London
Exhibition: Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey, National Gallery, London, until May 23 2010
The latest offering from The National Gallery celebrates one of the most popular paintings in its collection, Paul Delaroche's The Execution of Lady Jane Grey 1833, in the context of the artist's great historical paintings.
First shown in the Paris Salon of 1833, the painting caused a sensation among critics and members of the public however Delaroche went on to fall out of fashion. The piece languished in the stores of the National Gallery and was even declared destroyed by flood damage in the 1930s.
Gallery staff rediscovered the piece in 1973 while hunting for another work. They found that the monumental canvas was far from destroyed and set about restoring it.
The Princes in the Tower (1830). Musée du Louvre, Paris. © RMN, Paris, photo Hervé Lewandowski
In 1975 Delaroche's masterpiece went back on display at the National Gallery, and it has become one of the nation's best-loved paintings. Seeing it up close it is easy to see why.
Not only is the work perfectly executed by Delaroche, but the subject Lady Jane Grey was just a 17-year-old girl who was queen of England for just 9 days before being over thrown by her catholic cousin Mary.
You cannot help but be moved by the condemned Queen groping for the executioner's block – Delaroche conveys the magnitude of the situation without having to depict the violent and horrific beheading itself.
Musée du Louvre, Paris. © RMN, Paris. Hervé Lewandowski
Delaroche's ability to convey the utmost tension and terror surrounding some of the more morbid moments in history can again be seen in the Princes in the Tower, on loan from the Louvre.
The two young princes cower on a bed awaiting their fate and a tiny dog notices the shadow of the assassins shadow under the door; one of the princes seems to be recoiling with fear, the other grimly resigned to his fate.
Another of the exhibition's highlights is also on loan from the Louvre, The Christian Martyr, which is reported to be the gallery’s second best selling postcard. It depicts a beautiful girl floating dead on her back in a river with a halo hovering just above her head.
Studies for Jane Grey (with Ladies-in-Waiting and Executioner squared). Musée du Louvre, Paris. © RMN, Paris / Thierry Ollivier
The exhibition guides the visitor through the background behind Lady Jane Grey, exploring Delaroche's interest in history, his technique and the model who posed as Lady Jane grey.
Anaiis Aubert, an actress romantically linked to Delaroche, is believed to have modelled for Lady Jane Grey and there are a number of pictures of her in the exhibition as well as some affectionate letters written to her by Delaroche.
The studies carried out by Delaroche show the thought process behind the picture as he plans the finer details such as the groping hands reaching for the executioner’s block and the character development of the background figures.
Painting History ends with the impact that Delaroche had on other artists who were quick to imitate his choice of historical subject and technique, emphasising his popularity among both artists and the public.
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