HARBOUR OF REFUGE 1893 Frederick Walker VICTORIAN TINTED PRINT

Original 1893 5 3/8 inch x 9 1/4 inch Tinted Engraving titled THE HARBOUR OF REFUGE.

This painting was inspired by a group of elderly people seen sitting outside a church. The background was painted at the Jesus Hospital at Bray, near Maidenhead. The theme is the passage of time and the inevitability of death. Youth is contrasted with age, vigour with decrepitude, and death is symbolised by the scythe wielded by the young man. The old men beneath the statue listen to a man reading, but they also wait for the end of their lives. The warm glow of sunset signals the end of the day, but also provides an atmosphere of human resignation in the face of death.

Painted by Frederick Walker (1840 - 1875). A British social realist painter and illustrator. He was described by Sir John Everett Millais as "the greatest artist of the century".

Published in the Art Journal 1893

Page size 12 1/2 inch x 9 1/4 inch

The print is in very good condition. Reverse side blank.