Coriolanus

Framed width: 532 cm
Framed height: 150 cm
Unframed width: 518 cm
Unframed height: 139.5 cm

Commissioned in 1848, the large-scale painting Coriolanus marks an important moment in the artist’s career, and its allocation to Watts Gallery Trust enables the painting to enter a public collection for the first time in its history. Watts is credited with the revival of the fresco technique in Victorian England, this interest exemplifying his strong sense of mission as a public artist. Commissions included St George Overcomes the Dragon (1848-1853) at the Houses of Parliament and Justice: a Hemicycle of Lawgivers (1853-59) in Lincoln's Inn. In 1848, the artist received a commission from Henry Maurice Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780-1863), to paint a pair of murals for the Entrance Hall of the family home, Bowood House in Wiltshire. Over the next couple of years, Watts produced two large frieze-like works for his patron: the fresco of Achilles and Briseis and a large-scale oil painting of Coriolanus – believed to be the artist’s last completed wall mural. Following the partial demolition of Bowood in 1955, the pendant murals were separated: the fresco was removed and transferred to Watts Gallery in six separate pieces, while the oil painting was later sold into a private collection. Now, the two works will be reunited at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, where the collection also includes fragments of a full-size coloured cartoon of Coriolanus and oil studies for both finished works, creating an opportunity to trace the progression and evolution of this composition and gaining a better understanding into the artist’s painting methods. Taken from the press release April 2022