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William Frrederick (W.F.) was one of the most popular Victorian artists. Yeames was born in 1835. He was the son of a wealthy British diplomat. william displayed artistic talents at quite a youthful age. This is a good example of the dramatic, sntimental scenes that Yeames painte and the Vicyorians loved. It is one of the best knoen scenes from Shakespeare's "King John". King John of course was an actual historical figure. King John (reigned 1199-1216). He is one of the best known medieval English king and one of the most unpopular. The painting here illustrates a moving scene in which Prince Arthur, the rightful claimant to the throne, pleads with Hubert de Burgh, an agent of King John, to spare him from being blinded with a red hot poker. King John succeeded his older brother, Richard I (Coeur de Lion), as King of England. But the rightful heir was Arthur, Duke of Brittany (the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance of Brittany), a boy 7 years old. Geoffrey, also brother to Richard I, was older than John; therefore his son Arthur rightly came before John in the order of succession. King John has ordered his subject Hubert to blind Prince Arthur with a red hot poker, thus making it impossible for him to inherit the throne of England.
William Frrederick (W.F.) was one of the most popular Victorian artists. Yeames was born in 1835. He was the son of a wealthy British diplomat. william displayed artistic talents at quite a youthful age. His parents encouraged his interest in art as a young boy. The family began an extended toured Italy in 1841 when William was 6 years old, in part to expose him to the work of the Italian masters. While still in Italy, William's father died in 1842. The family then went to live in Dresden. William was tutored at home with special attention given to artistic studies. William in while only 13 years old moved to London. There he studied under a noted sculptor, Westmacott, as well as George Scharf. After his studies in London, William again traved in Italy. His first exhibit at the Royal Academy after is return to England during 1854. His traditional style and heroic historical subjects made him very popular with the English establishment. He became ARA in 1866 and was elected RA in 1878, and finally Librarian at the Academy. He held many other offices such as Curator of the Painted Hall at Greenwich. One of his more notable paintings was a Civil War scene, "Where did you last see your father?" Yeames died in 1918.
King John (reigned 1199-1216). He is one of the best known medieval English king and one of the most unpopular. John was born at Beaumont Palace,Oxford (1167). His father was Henry II Curtmantle, King of England (1133- ), His mother was Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine (about 1122- ). Unlike his brother Richard, John was no great warrior and spent much of his life in England. He became King of Ireland (1177), Count of Mortain (1189), and Earl of Gloucester. Also unlike his brother, John was often a villian in Medieval legend. John acceded to the throne upon the death of his brother (1199). He married Isabella of Angoulême (1200). They had five children: Henry III, King of England, (1207- ), Richard of Cornwall, Earl of Cornwall (1209- ), Joan (1210- ), Isabella (Elizabeth), Empress of Germany (1214- ), and Eeanor (1215- ). He also had several illegitiamte children. Richard had been killed in battle in France defending his French possessions. John was less prone to risk his life in these bruttal battles. As a result he lost several possessions including Normandy to Phillip II Augustus of France (1205). John also faced domestic problems with the English nobility. The English barons forced him to concede the Magna Carta which John signed at Runnymede (1215). The Great Charter was a great concession on his part. It is generally seen as both the foundation of representative government in Britain and by assocuation the Dominions and the United States as well as the fondation of the principle that the king like his people were subject to law. John soon repudiated the charter, resulting in the First Barons War (1215) during which he died (1216). John's reputation was not at all aided by Shakespeare's "King John". HBRC does not yet have a page on King John, but there is a page on the Plantagenets.
The painting here illustrates a moving scene in which Prince Arthur, the rightful claimant to the throne, pleads with Hubert de Burgh, an agent of King John, to spare him from being blinded with a red hot poker. King John succeeded his older brother, Richard I (Coeur de Lion), as King of England. But the rightful heir was Arthur, Duke of Brittany (the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance of Brittany), a boy 7 years old. Geoffrey, also brother to Richard I, was older than John; therefore his son Arthur rightly came before John in the order of succession. John obviously considered Arthur a threat to his power and ordered Hubert de Burgh to violently remove the threat. When Hubert goes to the castle where Arthur is imprisoned to blind the boy, which would make him unfit to be king, Prince Arthur pleads with such eloquence with Hubert that he is spared. Later, however, in an attempt to escape, Arthur leaps from the castle wall and kills himself in the fall.
King John (reigned 1199-1216). He is one of the best known medieval English king and one of the most unpopular. The painting here illustrates a moving scene in which Prince Arthur, the rightful claimant to the throne, pleads with Hubert de Burgh, an agent of King John, to spare him from being blinded with a red hot poker. King John succeeded his older brother, Richard I (Coeur de Lion), as King of England. But the rightful heir was Arthur, Duke of Brittany (the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance of Brittany), a boy 7 years old. Geoffrey, also brother to Richard I, was older than John; therefore his son Arthur rightly came before John in the order of succession. John obviously considered Arthur a threat to his power and ordered Hubert de Burgh to violently remove the threat. When Hubert goes to the castle where Arthur is imprisoned to blind the boy, which would make him unfit to be king, Prince Arthur pleads with such eloquence with Hubert that he is spared. Later, however, in an attempt to escape, Arthur leaps from the castle wall and kills himself in the fall. Illustrations of Arthur's pleading with Hubert to spare him from blinding is a good example of Victorian sentimentality in art. Several British artists have addressed this subject. It was a favorite subject of the Victorians.
This painting shows one of the most affecting scenes in the play. King John has ordered his subject Hubert to blind Prince Arthur with a red hot poker, thus making it impossible for him to inherit the throne of England. The boy, Prince Arthur, has a better claim to the throne than his uncle King John, so John wants to get rid of the boy. Blinding the boy is almost equivalent to murdering him. Hubert, a basically good-hearted man, is very reluctant to assault the innocent boy, and the painting shows Arthur pleading with Hubert in his prison not to carry out the terrible deed. Hubert relents and refuses to perform the wicked act, reporting to King John falsely that he has obeyed the dreadful royal command and releasing Arthur from his cell. Trying to escape, the boy leaps from a high wall in the castle and falls to his death, so John is indirectly responsible for the boy's death anyway. Notice the color symbolism of the painting. Arthur, the innocent boy, is dressed in white while Hubert, the reluctant agent of John, is dressed in black. Yeames costumes both characters in 13th-century clothing, more or less accurately depicted. Hubert wears a long black gown with a cowl and an ornamental belt. Arthur is shown in white long stockings over which he wears a longish tunic with an embroidered collar. The bench on which the two figures sit is red--suggestive of both bloodshed and royal blood. The table has a white cloth, almost like the fair linen of an altar, so as to suggest something approaching religious sacrifice. Note the rope with which Arthur was to be bound.
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