Artwork
Amy Robsart and the Earl of Leicester
Amy Robsart and the Earl of Leicester is an oil painting by Richard Parkes Bonington. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.
About this work
Overview
Amy Robsart and the Earl of Leicester is a 1827 oil painting by Richard Parkes Bonington, an English artist who worked primarily in France. The work is part of the Ashmolean Museum's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a fictional scene from Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, depicting an intimate moment between the characters Amy Robsart and the Earl of Leicester. The couple's interaction is the central focus of the composition.
Technique & Style
Bonington's use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of depth and volume, drawing the viewer's eye into the scene. His fluid technique and handling of light blend influences from old masters with a modern approach, characteristic of his work.
Context
The painting's scene is set against a cloudy sky with a stone balcony railing, establishing a sense of atmosphere and setting. The overall mood is one of quiet intimacy, with the couple lost in their own world.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Parkes Bonington (25 October 1802 – 23 September 1828) was an English Romantic landscape painter.
Anne Page Inviting Slender to Dinner
Le Repos Gracieux (The Graceful Rest)
Venetian Night
Venus and Tannhäuser
The Bride of Lammermoor (from Sir Walter Scott's novel)
Scene in a Park
Courtiers in an Interior
A Young Lady
The Two Central Figures in "Derby Day"
Mary MacKay Caird, later Mrs James Glen (1847 - 1940)
Portrait of Madame Thomas (née Camille Boucher)
Courtship