Sunday morning: the walk from church

When this picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1846 Redgrave appended George Herbert’s lines to his title: ‘Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright!/The bridal of the earth and sky.’ Virtue (1633), written by Herbert in the year of his death, explores the transient nature of earthly pleasures and this idea is exemplified by Redgrave in this painting by various character juxtapositions. The youthful, happily-engaged couple and the long-married elderly couple, occupied in conversation, walk alongside a beautiful younger woman in mourning, who is accompanied by children. Even the boys are juxtaposed, one dressed in his smart Sunday best, the other in his country garb. The church and vicar in the background are a reminder of the many ceremonies that mark the cycle of life in the village, both happy and melancholy. The painting is a magnificent example of contemporary social realism which was a recurrent theme in Redgrave’s work, which included other titles such as The Governess (1844, Victoria & Albert Museum) and The Emigrant’s Last Sight of Home (1858, Tate). Redgrave had a particular sympathy, unusual at that date, for the condition of women. There are figure studies for the present composition in the Victoria & Albert Museum.