About this lot
Description
Maria Herzig after Tobias Edward Rosenthal
The Trial of Constance de Beverly, a scene from Marmion
signed and dated 'Maria Herzig / T. E. Rosenthal 18.3. 1886' (lower left)
oil on canvas
82 x 107cm
Provenance:
Christie's, South Kensington, 31st October 2007, lot 1263
Birling Ashes, Kent
Footnote:
The present painting is a copy after the original by Rosenthal in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field (1808), is set in 1514 and follows Lord Marmion’s plot to triumph over Ralph de Wilton for the hand in marriage of the wealthy Clara de Clare. Marmion forges a letter to incriminate his rival of treason which forces de Wilton into exile and Clara to take refuge in a convent, only for Marmion to pursue her there. Marmion had been assisted in his plot by his mistress, a perjured nun, but when he abandons her, she follows him in the disguise of a page. This painting depicts the moment Marmion’s scorned lover is discovered at the convent and condemned to death. As the nun’s final act of vengeance, she provides evidence of de Wilton’s innocence. The climax of the tale takes place at the Battle of Flodden Field where Marmion is killed and de Wilton wins back his honour as well as Clara’s heart.
Condition report:
The painting is executed in oil on a canvas support which has not been lined. The canvas is slightly slack but the picture is in plane. There is some water staining on the reverse although this does not appear to have affected the paint layers. Drying cracks have formed in some of the darker paint passages; the paint layer is stable overall. There are a few small scuffs to the surface of the paint layers. The painting has been partially cleaned and residues of old varnish are present in some areas. Overpaint is localised and slightly pale, notably in the central figure's face. The varnish is semi-matte and even with a light layer of surface dirt.
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