530 - P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The execution of Lady Jane Grey, around 1858, Steel engr

P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The execution of Lady Jane Grey, around 1858, Steel engr Paolo Mercuri (1804 Rom - 1884 Bucharest) after Paul Delaroche (1797 Paris - 1856 ibid.): The execution of Lady Jane Grey, c. 1858, Steel engraving Technique: Steel engraving on Paper Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "Peint par Paul De la Roche / Gravé par P. Mercuri.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Tiré de la Galerie du Prince Anatole Demidoff / Imprimé par Goupil & Cie á Paris". Date: c. 1858 Description: Since the Thames flood of 1928, Paul Delaroche's dramatic history painting was considered lost until it was rediscovered in 1973 and is now one of the most popular exhibits at the National Gallery in London. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is regarded as Delaroche's masterpiece, which expressively captures the historicising scene of the execution of the English "Queen of Nine Days" Jane Grey (1536-1554). As the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII Tudor, Jane Grey was patronised at a young age and brought up to be an educated lady who cultivated the Protestant faith and, not least for this reason, was preferred to his sister Mary in the line of succession to the throne by the last will of King Edward VI. Just nine days after her proclamation, however, she was captured and executed by the latter. She was soon perceived as a martyr and victim of her cousin Queen Mary I Tudor, especially among the followers of the Protestant faith. Delaroche, who is known for his rather gloomy history paintings that more often epitomise decline than triumph, may have been inspired by Madame de Staël's drama Jane Grey, published in 1790. The translation of Harris Nicolas' The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey from 1825 also made the cult-like veneration of Jane Grey tangible in France. The subject of royal executions still had a contemporary historical relevance in France, particularly in view of the beheading of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI as a result of the French Revolution, and Delaroche was also concerned with its pictorial realisation. Over a period of many years, Delaroche studied the fate of the "Nine-Day Queen" and travelled to England himself to experience the scene of the event for himself. Only this willingness to research and an enthusiastic dedication to the subject matter could have led to the creation of this gripping oil painting. For the basic constellation of figures, Delaroche orientated himself on John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart and transferred the hitherto rare motif of the execution itself to the depiction of Jane Grey. Carefully selected figures, who are able to express a variety of different emotions in their postures and expressions, stand around Jane Grey, who is condemned to death and gropes for the execution block with blindfolded eyes and uncertain gestures. The sensitively composed iconography owes its depth to the artist's intensive examination of the fate of the heir to the throne and the preparation of the painting through countless sketches and drafts, but also demonstrates artistic freedom and an orientation towards dramatic theatre. With comparably high standards, Delaroche criticised his contemporaries for the often imprecise production of engraved reproductions of their paintings and therefore attached great importance to the high-quality dissemination of his own works. For The Execution of Jane Grey, it is known that he concluded a contract with the publisher Adolphe Goupil as early as 1835, which assured him of the high quality of the reproductions. The collaboration with the engraver Paolo Mercuri soon began, but was not finalised until the middle of the century. The easy legibility of the painting and the clear constellation of figures offered the best conditions for its realisation as a print, but also inspired theatre plays and tableaux vivants, which bear witness to the painting's enduring popularity to this day. Keywords: Thames Flood of 1928; History painting; Paul Delaroche; National Gallery in London; Execution of Lady Jane Grey; Nine Days' Queen; Jane Grey; King Henry VII; Tudor; Protestant faith; Succession to the throne; Queen Mary I; Tudor; Madame de Staël; Harris Nicolas; The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey; French Revolution; Marie Antoinette; King Louis XVI; ; Constellation of figures; John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart; Oil painting; Iconography; Sketches; Sketches; Dramatic theatre; Reproductions; Adolphe Goupil; Paolo Mercuri; Prints; Plays; Tableaux vivants, 19th century, Romanticism, Genre, United Kingdom, Size: Paper: 46,0 cm x 51,4 cm (18,1 x 20,2 in), Plate: 43,2 cm x 48,6 cm (17 x 19,1 in), Depiction: 28,9 cm x 35,2 cm (11,4 x 13,9 in) Condition: Very good condition. Slight black line at the top of the left column.