Pistol announcing to Falstaff the death of the king [graphic] / John Cawse.
1820
Items
Linked e-resources
Linked Resource
Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library FPa11
Details
Title
Pistol announcing to Falstaff the death of the king [graphic] / John Cawse.
Created/published
ca. 1820s.
Description
1 painting on canvas : oil ; 63.2 x 77 cm
Associated name
Cawse, John, 1779-1862, artist.
Material base
canvas
Summary
More broadly painted than FPa12, this work is also more compact in composition, permitting a stronger focus on the figures. Silence, who under the influence of drink is anything but quiet, is dressed all in red, his thin, elongated form now more noticeably contrasted with Falstaff's pumpkin-like rotundity. Shallow is still between the two principals, but his sober attire makes him less obtrusive, and Pistol, with a full head of hair, now appears a more dashing figure. Bardolph and Davy at the right have identical expressions, the only difference being that Bardolph has the required red nose.
Note
A version was also sold at Sotheby, London, 16 May 1984, lot 213, repr., incorrectly identified as "The Quarrel between Sir John Falstaff, Doll and Pistol" (II Henry IV I, 4). It was signed and dated 1820. Though its proportions (24 x 29 1/2 in.) and background are closer to those of this painting, in its arrangement of the figures it more closely resembles FPa12.
Title from Pressly.
Title from Pressly.
Provenance
Provenance: Maggs Bros., Rare Books, Prints and Autographs, 34-35 Conduit St., New Bond St., London, July 1925, £52.10.0 (purchased as by Thomas Stothard, and as a pendant of no. 9, but given their different dimensions, there is no reason to see these works as pendants)
Exhibited
Exhibited: British Institution, 1820, no. 294. The measurements were listed as 39 by 42 inches. Since this includes the frame, it is not impossible that the Folger picture is the exhibited work.
Cited/described in
Pressly, W.L. Paintings in the Folger Shakespeare Library, 12
Linked resources
Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library FPa11
Genre/form
Paintings.
Place of creation/publication
Great Britain -- England.
Item Details
Call number
FPa11 (hallway)
Folger-specific note
This record contains unverified data from a re-keying contract and may contain incorrect or incomplete text. Please consult Curator for assistance.
Folger accession
cs1443