Solomon Alexander Hart RA (April 1806 - 1881)
RA Collection: Art
Hart meticulously researched period details for the backgrounds of his historicist paintings. This sketch depicts the interior of Plymouth Synagogue which was built between 1761-3 and is one of the oldest in Britain. The artist was the grandson of a Henry Hart from Ansbach who settled in Plymouth around 1755 and became a successful rum merchant. The family were observant Jews and attended Plymouth Synagogue. This sketch of the interior concentrates on the rare, carved wooden Ark which dates from the mid-18th century and was probably imported from Holland.
Solomon Hart made these drawings of Plymouth subjects when he returned to his home town in August 1830. Hart was born in Plymouth but moved to London with his immediate family in 1820. His grandfather, Henry Hart, was from Ansbach in Germany but settled in Plymouth where he became a rum merchant.
254 mm x 169 mm