'Regalia', Edward Wadsworth

Artwork details

Artist

Edward Wadsworth (1889‑1949)

Title

Regalia

Date 1928

MediumTempera and oil paint on canvas on board

Dimensionssupport: 763 x 917 mm frame: 900 x 1055 x 105 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Purchased with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1982

Reference

T03398

Not on display

Display caption

Regalia combines a still life of antiquated and modern marine instruments with a view of the open sea. The sailor’s equipment is given almost royal status as the shapes subtly echo the regalia of sceptre, orb and chain. Wadsworth was fascinated by machinery and collected maritime equipment so that he could paint directly from it.

The stark clarity of his style is comparable to the ‘metaphysical’ paintings of the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. It injects a sense of mystery and gives the objects a presence that makes them seem like a monument.

July 2008