The Meeting of Sir Thomas More with his Daughter after his Sentence of Death, by W. F. Yeames. 1863. Oil on canvas; 40 x 68 inches (101.5 x 173 cm). Collection of Tower of London. Accession no. 3003080. Image via Art UK on the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND). [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Yeames exhibited this painting at the Royal Academy in 1863, no. 522. It was accompanied in the catalogue by a quotation from The Life, Arraignement, and Death of that Mirrour of all true Honour and Vertue, Syr Thomas More written by his son-in-law William Roper:
Thare tarryeinge his comminge, as soone as she sawe him, after his blessinge uppon her knees reverentlie received, she hastinge towards him, without consideracion or care of her selfe, pressinge in amongst the midst of the thronge and companie of the garde that with holbards and bills went round about him, hastelie raune to him, and theare openly in sight of them imbraced him, and took him about the neck, and kissed him, who well likinge her most naturall and deere daughterlie affection towards him, gave her his fatherlie blessinge and manie godlie words of comfort besides.
Roper's biography had been written in the mid sixteenth century but not published until 1626. More had been found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death for refusing to accept the Act of Supremacy.
This is an example of the typical historical subject favoured by The St. John's Wood Clique. When the picture came up for auction at Christie's in 1999 John Christian explained the historical background of the painting:
The present picture, shown at the R.A. in 1863, is an early work, and tighter in handling than the familiar masterpiece. It shows the scene outside the Tower of London when Sir Thomas More returned from his trial in Westminster Hall on 1 July 1535. He had been indicted for high treason on the grounds that he refused to accept the Act of Supremacy, making Henry VIII head of the English Church, and the validity of the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn. He was found guilty and condemned to be hanged at Tyburn, a sentence later commuted to beheading on Tower Hill. His children were waiting for him as he came from Westminster, and after he had blessed them, his daughter Margaret Roper broke through the crowd and armed guard to embrace him, receiving "his fatherly blessing" again, and "many godly words of comfort besides." More had already been in the Tower since April 1534, awaiting trial. Suffering much from ill health, he was kept in prison for another few days, being executed at nine o'clock on the morning of 6 July. He wrote his last letter to Margaret the previous day, telling her that he "never liked your manner towards me better than when you kissed me last for I love when daughterly love and dear charity hath no lesure to look to wordly courtesy. Farewell, my dear child, and pray for me, and I shall for you and all your friends that we may merrily meet in heaven.'
Margaret Roper was the eldest and favourite daughter of Thomas More. After More's execution. his headless corpse was buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, but she later privately purchased his head that had been displayed on London Bridge, and is believed to have buried it in the Roper family vault at St Dunstan's, Canterbury.
When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy it was well received by the critics. Tom Taylor of The Times wrote: "There are qualities of drawing and composition which justify anticipations of something higher than Mr. Yeames, who has been yearly advancing, has yet attained" (7). F. G. Stephens in The Athenaeum admired the various and admirably defined actions and expressions of the participants:
"One of the more interesting pictures is Mr. Yeames's Meeting of Sir Thomas More with his Daughter after his Sentence of Death (522). The scene is in a courtyard after Sir Thomas had left the place of trial for that of his brief imprisonment. Margaret Roper broke through the guards and is seen struggling with two of them; her arms are spread out wide towards her father, who has turned round for a last embrace of one he loved so well. Her action, without violence, is full of passion, her expression most pathetic; that of her father, quieter and graver, is sad, loving and noble. His face is pale, worn with age and study, yet most with recent anxiety and the impress of fate; saddened but not subdued, and full of tenderness. Excellently supporting the emotions of these two is the designing of the subordinate figures; the children Margaret has left stand behind, a girl kneeling, a boy eagerly bending forward as to follow. The various and admirably defined actions and expressions of the soldiers, their officer, and the few persons gathered about the spot are high testimonies to the painter's keen perception of the subject. A little dry in execution, and somewhat flat, this work is solidly painted, well drawn, and treated with careful heed of truth in costume. [623]
The reviewer for The Art Journal thought it a well managed composition, largely relying on character and expression:
The Meeting of Sir Thomas More with his Daughter after his Sentence of Death (522), by W. F. Yeames, is well-managed composition, of varied incident and touching pathos. Sir Thomas Moore is seen just as he has passed one of the Tower gates, surrounded by a guard bearing halberds. Anxious groups have gathered together, tarrying for the prisoner's coming; and the chronicle goes on to tell us that as soon as this good man's daughter – herself one among the crowd – saw her father approaching, she hastened towards him, without consideration or care for herself, and pressing in among the company of the guards, she ran up to him, and there openly in the sight of them all embraced him, and took him about the neck and kissed him. The moment chosen by Mr. Yeames shows the lady, young and delicate that she was, rushing with outstretched hands into her father's arms. In vain the guards strive to hold her back. The story is simply and clearly told, and the painting sufficiently careful. This picture is the more commendable inasmuch as it relies on character and expression, and is free, with the exception perhaps some flaunting reds, from all adventitious blandishments. Mr. Yeames may be added to the list of those advancing artists who promise to the future. [107]
The Builder praised both the draughtsmanship and painting of this composition: "Mr. W. F. Yeames makes a new dress from the most threadbare of materials, and creates a fresh interest for the 'Meeting of Sir Thomas More with his Daughter after his Sentence of Death' (522), by succinctly telling his version of the story, with some good drawing and solid painting to help him" (362).
The subject of Thomas More and his daughter was a popular one for Victorian artists. John Rogers Herbert's painting, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844 and now in the Tate Britain, showed More and his daughter in his cell in the Tower prior to his trial. A painting by Lucy Madox Brown, exhibited at the Dudley Gallery in 1875, shows Margaret in a small boat receiving the head of her father that is lowered to her in a basket from the pike where his head had been displayed on London Bridge after his execution.
Link to Related Material
Bibliography
Christian, John. The London Sale. London: Christie's (26 November 1999), lot 76. https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1626504
The Meeting of Sir Thomas More with his Daughter after his Sentence of Death. Art UK. Web. 1 September 2023.
Stephens, Frederic George. "Fine Arts. Royal Academy." The Athenaeum No. 1854 (9 May 1863): 622-24.
Taylor, Tom. "The Royal Academy." The Times (7 May 1863): 7.
"The Royal Academy." The Art Journal New series II (1 June 1863): 105-116.
"The Royal Academy." The Builder XXI (23 May 1863): 362.
Created 1 September 2023