''Sealing the Tomb'' is a great altarpiece

triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided ...

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...

in the English city of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. It was commissioned for St Mary Redcliffe in 1755. In the 19th century attempts were made to sell it, but it was given to the Bristol Fine Art Academy, which became the

Royal West of England Academy The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is Bristol's oldest art gallery, located in Clifton, Bristol, near the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road. Situated in a Grade 2* listed building, it hosts five galleries and an exhibition progr ...

. Its size made it difficult to display and it was rolled up and stored in the basement. In 1973 it was displayed in the ecclesiastical museum created in the war-damaged Church of St Nicholas. When the museum closed it was converted to offices; however the triptych remains in the building. It is on display to the public again after the church was re-consecrated in 2018.

Description

The three scenes depicted are the '' Ascension'' featuring Mary Magdalene, on a central canvas which is by . It is flanked by '' The Sealing of the Sepulchre'' and the '' Three Marys at the Tomb'' each of which is by . They are mounted in gilded frames.

History

The painting was commissioned from

in 1755 to fill the east end of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

of St Mary Redcliffe. It was Hogarth's only commission from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

; he did not follow any faith. The

churchwarden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

s paid him £525 for his painting. Thomas Paty made the frames. The total cost was £7671 6s 4d. The three paintings were too wide for the church and the side panels were placed at an angle to the central one. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

Hogarth's work was no longer thought to be suitable for the church and attempts were made to sell it to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

or via Christie's and an advertisement was placed in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

''; however no potential purchasers could be found. It was given to the Bristol Fine Art Academy, which became the

, in 1859. In 1910 another attempt was made to sell it, again without success. The work took up a great deal of display space and presented challenges for public display. It was eventually rolled up and stored in the basement. The museum officially acquired the paintings in 1955 with £500 from the Art Collections Fund. The painting is now displayed in St Nicholas, Bristol. The church was damaged by incendiary bombs during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and was considered for demolition in the 1950s. The building was partially restored and the roof replaced by 1964 when it was leased to The Corporation of Bristol as a museum of church artefacts and local history. It opened in 1973 and Hogarth's triptych was installed at the eastern end. The museum closed in 1991; however the painting remained within the offices of the Bristol & Region Archaeological Services. When the church was re-consecrated in 2018, the three paintings were put on display to the public again.

References

{{William Hogarth Paintings in Bristol Paintings by William Hogarth Paintings depicting Mary Magdalene Hogarth Triptychs