Frederick Richard Pickersgill

FREDERICK RICHARD PICKERSGILL (London, 1820- Isle of Wight, 1900).
"The Abdication of Richard II.
Oil on canvas.
It has a 19th century frame with faults.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 74 x 104 cm; 103 x 132 cm (frame).
Richard II was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty, which was succeeded by the Lancastrian dynasty, starting the period of the Wars of the Two Roses, between this one and the one of York. His predecessor was his grandfather, Edward III, and his successor, Henry IV, who was also Edward's grandson and Richard's first cousin. In this case the artist recreates the moment when Henry IV abdicates, using a composition that has a long tradition in the history of art, with the figures arranged in the form of a frieze in such a way as to allow the work to be easily understood. The scene is based entirely on the imagination of the author, who idealises the scene, thus evoking a glorious past, a device very much to the taste of the 19th century. During this period the historicist trend developed to a great extent, due to the Enlightenment interest of the previous century and the exaltation of a past that had little to do with the reality of the moment. Furthermore, historicist paintings were the most highly valued by the academy, as the artist's skill in other genres such as still life or landscape could be discerned in them.

Aesthetically the work is close to the painting of Frederick Richard Pickersgill, an English painter and book illustrator. Born in London into a family of artists, he was admitted to the Royal Academy schools in 1840. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1839 and 1875. The Burial of Harold of Pickersgill was accepted as a decoration for the Houses of Parliament in 1847 for the sum of £500. He also produced some landscapes under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites. In 1856, Robert Howlett photographed Pickersgill at the Institute of Photography as part of a series of portraits of artists. The image was part of a group exhibited at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in 1857. Pickersgill was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1847 and a full Royal Academician in June 1857, but retired in 1888. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools from 1873 to 1887.