Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire
| Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Abraham Pether |
| Year | 1809 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, cityscape painting |
| Dimensions | 74 cm × 107 cm (29 in × 42 in) |
| Location | Guildhall Art Gallery, London |
Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire is an 1809 oil painting by the British artist Abraham Pether. It depicts a panoramic view of London on the night of 24 February 1809, the night that the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane burned down during a major fire. It portrays the scene from a bridge over the River Thames looking eastwards with the skyline illuminated by the blaze. [1] The playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan who owned the theatre, reportedly watched it burn while drinking and quipped "a man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine by his own fireside". The Times suggested it was the most major such event since the Great Fire of London. [2]
The painting is today in the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London, having been acquired in 1893.[3]
References
- ^ Atlee p.275
- ^ Wright p.68-69
- ^ "Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire, London, 24 February 1809 | Art UK". artuk.org.
Bibliography
- Atlee, James. Nocturne: A Journey in Search of Moonlight. University of Chicago Press 2011.
- Roe, Sonia. Oil Paintings in Public Ownership in the City of London of London. Public Catalogue Foundation, 2009.
- Wright, Patrick. Iron Curtain: From Stage to Cold War. Oxford University Press, 2009.