Image source: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). View source
The Death of General Wolfe
Benjamin West · Rococo & Neoclassicism
- Artist
- Benjamin West (1738–1820)
- Date
- 1770
- Dimensions
- 151 x 213 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
The Death of General Wolfe depicts the death of the British general James Wolfe at the Battle of Quebec in 1759, at the moment of victory over the French during the Seven Years' War. He lies dying in the arms of his officers on the battlefield.
A closer look
West caused a sensation by dressing the figures in contemporary uniforms rather than ancient togas, as academic tradition demanded for heroic history paintings. Yet the composition borrows from images of Christ taken down from the cross: the pale general, his arm supported, is surrounded by grieving companions, while a messenger arrives with news of victory. A Mohawk warrior sits in thought in the foreground. Many details are invented, since most of the men shown were not actually present, but the picture created a modern myth of national heroism.
History of the painting
After its success at the Royal Academy in 1771 the painting was bought by Lord Grosvenor, and it stayed with his family for nearly 150 years. In 1918 the 2nd Duke of Westminster gave it to Canada in recognition of the Canadian contribution to the First World War, and since 1921 it has belonged to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
More by Benjamin West
Famous works elsewhere
- Erasistratus the Physician Discovers the Love of Antiochus for Stratonice 1772
- General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian 1764
- Portrait of Dr Richard Price 1784
- Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald 1786
- Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye 1776
- Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia 1766