''The Trial of William Lord Russell in 1683'' is an 1825

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

by the British artist George Hayter. It is held at

Ferens Art Gallery The Ferens Art Gallery is an art gallery in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. The site and money for the gallery were donated to the city by Thomas Ferens, after whom it is named. The architects were S. N. Cooke and E. C. Dav ...

, in Kingston upon Hull.

History and description

The work portrays the trial at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in London of William Russell, Lord Russell, a Whig who was convicted of treason for his alleged part in the Rye House Plot of 1683 to assassinate Charles II and his brother and heir

James, Duke of York James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

. The painting portrays Russell's trial and conviction, shortly before his execution. Hayter had already developed his reputation for portraying dramatic scenes with his ''

Trial of Queen Caroline The Pains and Penalties Bill 1820 was a bill introduced to the British Parliament in 1820, at the request of King George IV, which aimed to dissolve his marriage to Caroline of Brunswick, and deprive her of the title of queen. George and Caroline ...

'', finished in 1823. This subsequent work was exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

's summer exhibition at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

in 1823. For this work he was commissioned by the Duke of Bedford, who was descended from the executed man, and it is sympathetic in tone.Miller Hayter went on to paint further crowd scenes including '' The Reformed House of Commons'' as well as three paintings depicting the coronation, wedding and baptism of the heir of Queen Victoria.

References

Bibliography

* Miller, Henry. ''Politics personified: Portraiture, caricature and visual culture in Britain, c.1830–80''. Manchester University Press, 16 May 2016 * Ormond, Richard. ''Edwin Landseer: The Private Drawings''. Unicorn Press, 2009. * Schwoerer, Lois G. ''Lady Rachel Russell: "One of the Best of Women"''. JHU Press, 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trial of William Lord Russell Paintings by George Hayter 1825 paintings History paintings