Chaucer at the Court of Edward III - Three Studies of Hands
1848
Accession number: 1906P751
Black chalk on paper.
Width: 201 mm
Height: 281 mm
Information
These three hand studies were undertaken for the abandoned wing compartments of the triptych 'The Seeds and Fruit of English Poetry' begun whilst Brown was in Rome in 1845. Only the central compartment 'Chaucer at the Court of Edward III' was fully realised and completed in 1851 (oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney). The hand on the bottom left is a study for the blind figure of Milton. His disability is symbolised by the staff he holds. The study above is for the right hand of Byron who holds a scroll and the study on the right is for the figure of Burns. Birmingham's collection also has full length studies for these figures which incorporate these studies of hands (1906P705 and reverse of 1906P680).LM
- Purchased and presented by subscribers, 1906.
- © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Makers
| Association | Artist | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Ford Madox Brown | - |
Inscriptions
| Type | Position(s) | Method | Date(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford M Brown London/48 | ||||
| Signature and date | bottom right | Handwritten | 1848 | Brown ink. |
Literature
| Author(s) | Date(s) | Publisher | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings | |||
| A E Whitley | 1939 | Bemrose & Sons Ltd, Derby | p. 33 |
| Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite | |||
| Laura MacCulloch, Tessa Sidey | 2008 | D. Giles Limited, London | p. 65 |
Associated people
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Robert Burns | Associated with |
| John Milton | Associated with |
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