Works on paper

Thornhill worked in the Italian Baroque tradition, a highly ornate style rooted in Catholic church architecture. Full of grandeur and dramatic realism, it was designed to inspire awe and emotion.

In 1715 Thornhill was awarded the commission to paint the life of the apostle Paul at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. These designs appear to be early explorations, the beginnings of what eventually became eight painted murals on the interior of the cathedral’s dome.

Hogarth is best known for his satirical and moralising paintings and engravings. His observations of Georgian society were often witty and brutally honest. They were hugely popular and widely reproduced as prints.

Hogarth visited Lord Lovat when he was waiting to go on trial for high treason. This silhouetted drawing is most likely a preparatory sketch for the print on display to the right. The drawing was made in reverse. After etching and printing, the final image would appear as Hogarth intended.

Lord Lovat was known as ‘the most devious man in Scotland’ and nicknamed ‘the Fox’. Guided solely by self-interest, he switched his support back and forth during the Jacobite Risings. He was eventually found out in 1746 and executed the following year at Tower Hill for high treason.

Nollekens is one of Britain’s most celebrated sculptors. In the late 18th century his work was highly sought after by aristocratic patrons, who commissioned him to make portrait sculptures and memorials.

This is a drawing of what is considered to be his best work. Known as Faith, it is a memorial to Maria, who was the first wife of Henry Howard of Corby Castle, near Carlisle. They married in 1788.  Maria died just a year later in childbirth, aged 23.

The memorial cost £1,500. It was installed near the castle, in Holy Trinity Church in 1803. The scene shows the dying mother with her dead infant daughter. She is supported by an angelic figure who represents her Christian faith.

Martin is best known for his vast apocalyptic landscapes full of drama and spectacle. The subject depicted is the biblical story of Moses releasing the waters of the Red Sea, drowning the Egyptian army after allowing the fleeing Israelites to cross.

Despite the small scale of the drawing, the artist’s skilful penmanship brilliantly conveys the energy and epic scale of the unfolding drama.

The Harris has a painting that takes the same Bible story as its subject. You can see it on display at the top of the staircase in our virtual tour. It is by Francis Danby, who was a contemporary of Martin. Painted in 1825, The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt depicts Moses parting the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to cross.

Reni was a prominent artist of the Bolognese school in Italy, who later became one of the most important painters working in Rome.

This sketch illustrates a scene from the biblical story of David and Goliath. The young shepherd boy David stands next to the severed head of the giant Goliath, after killing him with a single shot from his slingshot.

The Galli Bibiena family were Italian architects and scenic artists. They worked throughout Europe during the late 17th and 18th centuries creating elaborate sets for theatres and events hosted by wealthy patrons.

Because their work was mostly created as temporary decoration, little of it has survived. This complex and beautifully detailed drawing offers a rare glimpse into the splendour and richness of the imaginary worlds created by this family of artists and decorators.

Fuseli was a Swiss painter who lived and worked primarily in Britain. Many of his works deal with supernatural subjects and nightmares. His style influenced many younger artists, including William Blake, whose work is displayed on the right.

This drawing is of a particularly dark subject. It shows a seated man with the limp body of a dead woman draped across his knee. The emphasis on musculature and the unnatural position of the dead woman at his feet adds to the drama of the scene.

The dark wash in the background is a technique often used by Fuseli. It pushes the figures towards the viewer, adding to the sinister atmosphere of the work.

Blake visited his friend John Varley, a landscape painter, over several nights in 1819. Here, from nine in the evening until the early hours, Blake is said to have sketched visions that appeared before him.

His drawings included long-dead historical figures such as Robert the Bruce and Alexander
the Great and characters of myth and legend including Merlin and Robin Hood. Blake continued to make these visionary drawings over a number of years. Most were gathered together in sketchbooks with inscriptions written by Varley.

The Visionary Heads in this drawing are Greek historical figures – Pindar the poet and Lais, a beautiful courtesan. The fine, delicate lines give the drawings a dream-like quality, the figures appear to hover on the page as if in a trance.