Lot Essay
Armitage is remembered chiefly for having been a pupil of Paul Delaroche in Paris, assisting him with his famous 'hemicycle' in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and for being one of the most successful artists to enter the Westminster Hall competitions in the 1840s. His cartoon of The Landing of Julius Caesar was awarded a ¨300 premium, the highest on offer, in the first competition of 1843, and he went on to win further prizes and to paint two murals in the House of Lords.
Armitage was among the leading exponents of the classical tradition in England, anticipating Leighton and Poynter by almost a generation. His battle-pieces, historical subjects and religious themes were much admired in their day. The Battle of Meanee, which had won a ¨500 premium in the Westminster competition of 1847 and was shown in the Exposition Universalle of 1855 in Paris, was bought by the Queen; and Retribution, a monumental composition inspired by the Indian Mutiny of 1857, was acquired for Leeds Town Hall. It is now in the Leeds Art Gallery. Other major examples are at Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, and in the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.
The Mother of Moses was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1878, together with The Cities of the Plain (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle), a more ambitious work showing Abraham watching the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Having discussed this, the Art Journal commented: 'Mr Armitage's ... other religious subject is more genial in its nature and comes more kindly home to human sympathies ... It represents "The Mother of Moses" putting aside the tall Nile flags, that she may watch the proceedings of those who have discovered her boy in his little floating ark of bulrushes. The artist's inspiration doubtless came from his early master, Delaroche, who, it will be remembered, painted a similar subject many years ago.'
The picture is in a handsome Egyptian-style frame which is clearly original and was probably designed by the artist.
Armitage was among the leading exponents of the classical tradition in England, anticipating Leighton and Poynter by almost a generation. His battle-pieces, historical subjects and religious themes were much admired in their day. The Battle of Meanee, which had won a ¨500 premium in the Westminster competition of 1847 and was shown in the Exposition Universalle of 1855 in Paris, was bought by the Queen; and Retribution, a monumental composition inspired by the Indian Mutiny of 1857, was acquired for Leeds Town Hall. It is now in the Leeds Art Gallery. Other major examples are at Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, and in the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.
The Mother of Moses was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1878, together with The Cities of the Plain (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle), a more ambitious work showing Abraham watching the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Having discussed this, the Art Journal commented: 'Mr Armitage's ... other religious subject is more genial in its nature and comes more kindly home to human sympathies ... It represents "The Mother of Moses" putting aside the tall Nile flags, that she may watch the proceedings of those who have discovered her boy in his little floating ark of bulrushes. The artist's inspiration doubtless came from his early master, Delaroche, who, it will be remembered, painted a similar subject many years ago.'
The picture is in a handsome Egyptian-style frame which is clearly original and was probably designed by the artist.