An Early Reading of Shakespeare, by Solomon Alexander Hart (1806-1881). 1838, oil on canvas. Size: 750 mm x 912 mm x 28 mm. The painting is object no. 03/968 in the collection of the Royal Academy of Arts, and is reproduced here by kind permission of the Academy. [Click on the image to enlarge it, and click here for the painting in its original frame, also from the RA website.]
The RA commentary explains,
From the 1830s there was a growing interest in the early history of England and also the enshrining of Shakespeare as a national treasure. Hart seeks here not to paint a specific historical event or a scene from Shakespeare but rather to recreate the atmosphere of a late 16th century domestic interior showing figures listening attentively to a reading of the famous author.
Everything here speaks of an intimate Jacobean gathering, in which the furnishings and fitments, especially the wooden panelling and carved chairs, and the elaborately decorative stone fireplace, are as much of the period as the costumes — in which, as librarian of the RA later on, Hart would take a special interest (see Valentine). Escaping from the distance of history is the by-play between the beau and the pretty young girl towards the right: she is listening intently to what appears to be a dramatic reading, while he is only interested in her. The expressions on the various faces, and the postures of the different members of the group, also bring to scene to life — as does the dog on the left, curled asleep on the floor by its master's chair, the firelight glinting on its collar. Hart's historic sense, his skill in conveying the play of light, and his sense of humour, are all apparent here. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Related Material
Bibliography
"An Early Reading of Shakespeare, 1838." Royal Academy. Web. 13 September 2018.
Valentine, Helen. "Hart, Solomon Alexander (1806–1881), historical genre painter." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 13 September 2018.
Created 13 September 2018