The Baptism of Edwin, King of Northumbria, Deira and Bernicia (c.586 - 632/33), AD 627
possibly Harold Steward Rathbone (Liverpool 1858 - Port Saint, Isle of Man 1929)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
1878 - 1879 - 1896 - 1905
Materials
Black chalk, coloured chalks and watercolour on three pieces of paper
Measurements
1715 x 3404 mm (67 ½ x 134 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Standen House and Garden, West Sussex
NT 1214767
Summary
Black chalk, coloured chalks and watercolour on three pieces of paper, The Baptism of Edwin, King of Northumbria, Deira and Bernicia (c.586 - 632/33), AD 627, possibly by Harold Steward Rathbone (Liverpool 1858- Port Saint, Isle of Man 1929), after Ford Madox Brown (Calais 1821 – London 1893), 1878 -79/1905. This is a full-size replica of the preliminary cartoon of 'The Baptism of King Edwin' by Ford Madox Brown, 1878-1880 now in National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. It was the basis for a wall-painting in Manchester Town Hall (the kingdom of Deira included Manchester) showing the introduction of Christianity to Manchester. Edwin kneels in the font on the left as he is baptised by Bishop Paulinus whose characteristics follows the poet, Wordsworth in his sonnet Paulinus. On the right is Queen Ethleberga of Kent (modelled on his wife, Lucy and the little girl beside her, their daughter, Olivia), a Christian who persuades him to adopt her faith. York can be seen outside through the Saxon triangular-headed windows. The artist explained the scene in his own words: “Edwin was King of Northumbria and Deïra, and was Baptised at York, his Capital, in the year of Our Lord 627, and the next day 11,000 of his principal Subjects were Baptised together in the River Swale, and his dominions became Christian… A small wooden church, Bede tells us, was hastily constructed for the purpose… A Roman mosaic pavement is represented as having been used as foundation for the wooden church – as well because at this early date classical remains were frequently incorporated with pagan buildings, as to indicate the connection of this panel with the subject of that of No.1, which is to represent the Romans in Britain. Bishops, at this date, had not yet adopted the mitre…” [the Bishop was Paulinus].
Provenance
Probably bought by Mr Oliver from a Larinaga sale near Llandudno about 1937, and thence to his son P.J. Oliver, Llandudno; Sotheby’s Belgravia 22/02/1972, lot 69 (as The Baptism of Edwin, King of Northumbria, AD 726 [sic] and with dimensions given as 57 x 125 ½ in), bought Colnaghi; anon. sale Sotheby’s, 27 June 1978, lot 29 (with same error as 1972 catalogue) when bought by Arthur Grogan, Standen; purchased from Mr Arthur Grogan, May 1983
Marks and inscriptions
Recto: The Baptism of King Edwin by FORD MADOX BROWN
Makers and roles
possibly Harold Steward Rathbone (Liverpool 1858 - Port Saint, Isle of Man 1929) , artist after Ford Madox Brown (Calais 1821 - London 1893), artist
References
Ford Madox Brown Pre-Raphalite Pioneer (Julian Treuherz), Manchester Art Gallery 24 September 2011 - 29 January 2012, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent 25 February - 3 June 2012, pp. 286 - 287 Codell 1998 Julie F. Codell, ‘Ford Madox Brown, Carlyle, Macaulay, Bakhtin: The Pratfalls and Penultimates of History’, Art History, vol.21, no.3 (Sept. 1998), pp.324-66) Hueffer 1896 Ford Madox Hueffer, Ford Madox Brown: A Record of His Life and Work, 1896 Newman and Watkinson 1991 Theresa Newman and Ray Watkinson Ford Madox Brown and the Pre-Raphaelite Circle, 1991 , p. 177