"Naboth in his Vineyard" by James Smetham, 1821-89

Naboth in his Vineyard

James Smetham, 1821-89

1856

Oil on wood

H 22.2 x W 17.1 cm

Tate, London

Accession no. N03203

Bequeathed by W. C. Alexander, 1917

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See commentary below. Text by Jacqueline Banerjee

Kindly released via Art UK on the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND)

This is one of James Smetham's biblical paintings, illustrating the Old Testament story of Ahab, King of Samaria, and Naboth the Jezreelite. Ahab is seen in the top left-hand corner, looking down enviously on Naboth's vineyard, which neighbours his land. In this productive vineyard, Naboth is reclining, and thoroughly enjoying the inheritance that has come to him from his father — he is admiring and tasting the grapes, with his own little child cuddled up beside him. The whole story of Ahab's covetousness, the murder of Naboth to which it leads, and Ahab's own repentance, is told in Kings I, Chapter 21. But here, the emphasis is only on the young man's complete, sensuous delight in his inheritance, and the promise of being able to pass it on to his own children. The painting is Pre-Raphaelite in detail, but what makes it most dramatic and appealing is the expressiveness of the three faces, and the precious sense of Naboth's happiness — fleeting as it is — before the coming of disaster. Lust as he might, Ahab will never be able to experience that.

Created 17 April 2021