Colour study for an historical composition, possibly The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith, mid 19th century

Richard Redgrave RA (1804 - 1888)

RA Collection: Art

A colour study for an historical composition, possibly a deathbed scene. Although the costumes suggest that the scene is set in the 16th or 17th century, the composition is similar to one of Redgrave's published illustrations to Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Deserted Village (1770). This and the drawings on the following page of the album are possibly connected with Redgrave's wood-engraved illustration to the lines 'Beside the bed where parting life was layed' describing the duties of the clergyman of the village. The illustration was published in 1862 in Favourite English Poems.