''Allegory of Waterloo'', also known as ''Triumph of the Duke of Wellington'' or the ''Triumph of Great Britain after the Battle of Waterloo'', was a monumental painting by British artist

James Ward James Ward may refer to: Military *James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1864) (1833–?), American Civil War sailor * James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1890) (1854–1901), American Indian Wars soldier *James Allen Ward (1919–1941), New Zealand pilot and Vi ...

, completed in 1821, and now lost. Ward won a competition organised by the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

in 1816 to create an artwork to celebrate the final victory over

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

the previous year. He was commissioned to create a full-size painting, and paid 1,000 guineas. Rather than painting portraits of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

and his generals, or a scene from the battle, Ward proposed an allegorical treatment. Ward's painting showed the

in the red uniform of a British

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

with decorations and sashes, standing in a triumphal chariot accompanied by the figure of

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

. The chariot was drawn by four white horses, led by allegorical figures. Above was a sweltering orange sun and an angel, while more allegorical symbols and characters littered the canvas. Twisted

Solomonic column The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian or Composite c ...

to the left and right sides framed the image, supporting a swagged entablature above. El triunfo de la Iglesia, de Rubens

The painting seems to have been inspired by a 17th-century tapestry, ''Triumph of the Eucharist over Ignorance and Blindness'', from a 20-part series by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

on the ''Triumph of the Eucharist'' commissioned by Infanta Clara Eugenia, Governor of the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

, for the

Convent of Las Descalzas Reales The Convent of Las Descalzas Reales ( es, Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales) is a royal monastery situated in Madrid, Spain, administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. History The ''Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales'', literally the "Monaste ...

in Madrid; six of Ruben's preparatory oil sketches are held by the

Prado Museum The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

in Madrid. Ward's painting took 6 years to complete, and the final work measured , more than three times the expected size. Although his concept won the first prize in 1816, praise had turned to criticism by the time the painting was completed in 1822. The monumental image was exhibited at the

Egyptian Hall The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...

in Piccadilly in 1822, and then donated to the

Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an ...

, but it was so large it was rarely hung in the hall there as intended. It was later cut into several pieces which have been lost. Some studies and drawings survive. The historical collections of the

hold Ward's original oil-on-canvas study, exhibited at the British Institution in 1816, which measures , and there is a detailed drawing held by the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge which measures {{convert, 61, xx, 106, cm. Some of Ward's studies for details of the painting were exhibited at the

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

in 1837.

References

James Ward's Exhibition Pictures of 1838: Controversy in Paint
Edward J. Nygren, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Sep., 1979), pp. 448–459

James Ward, 1821 * ttp://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_151999/James-Ward/Design-for-The-Waterloo-Allegory,-c.1815-22 Design for The Waterloo Allegory, c.1815–22 wikigallery.org
Design for 'The Waterloo Allegory'
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Triumph of the Duke of Wellington (sketch) by James Ward
YourPaintings
The Triumph of the Duke of Wellington (sketch), James Ward, The Royal Hospital Chelsea
ArtUK
Wellington and Waterloo: The Duke, The Battle and Posterity, 1815–2015
R E Foster
James Ward
Sphinx Fine Art 1822 paintings Waterloo campaign in paintings Lost paintings Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington