30/1980

Collection

Paintings, Prints and Drawings

Brief description

‘The Lion and the Mouse: Sweet Mercy is Nobility’s True Badge’, oil on canvas by Rebecca Solomon, monogrammed, 1865, in a gilt frame with ridged edges, thought to be original.

Title

The Lion and the Mouse: Sweet Mercy is Nobility's True Badge
The Plea
The Mouse

Object name

painting
oil painting

Object number

30/1980

Location

On Display

Production person

Rebecca Solomon (artist)

Production date

1865 (painted)

Period

Victorian (1837-1901)

Material

oil paint
canvas

Technique

painted

Physical description

This oil painting on canvas is a genre scene set within a domestic interior. The painting is framed in a moulded giltwood frame and glazed.

Content description

This painting depicts a young man who has been caught poaching and brought before the landowner from whom he has stolen. The young poacher stands near the centre of the painting. He is dressed in a sailor suit and is hanging his head in shame. His mother stands beside him, on the left hand side of the painting, weeping. She is holding his hand and, with the other hand, holding a handkerchief up to her face. The gamekeeper who apprehended the poacher can be seen standing behind him with a dead rabbit hanging from one hand. On the right of the painting the landowner is seated in an armchair. He is pointing a finger towards the poacher and his expression is extremely stern. A young, blond haired girl has put her arms around his neck and is looking into his face with a pleading expression. She is apparently asking for mercy for the poacher and his mother. Some details of the interior can be seen in the background: there is a bookcase, a picture hanging on one wall, which is decorated in a dark green colour, and the edge of a curtain can be seen just behind the landowner's chair.