- Artist
- Edward Penny 1714–1791
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 1257 × 1010 mm
frame: 1352 × 1090 × 62 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by subscribers 1964
- Reference
- T00643
Display caption
Edward Penny was the first Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy (founded in 1768). This painting was displayed in the Academy’s first exhibition the following year. It illustrates lines from Shakespeare’s King John, which were also printed in the exhibition catalogue:
‘I saw a smith stand with his hammer thus,
The whilst his iron did on the anvil cool,
With open mouth swallow a taylor’s news.’
Paintings with Shakesperian themes were increasingly popular in the 18th Century. They appealed to a sense of national pride for many of the people who flocked to attend art exhibitions.
Gallery label, October 2023
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