The Trial of Queen Caroline

The Trial of Queen Caroline is an 1823 history painting by the British artist George Hayter.[1] It depicts the events of 1820 in which George IV, who had recently succeeded to the throne, attempted to divorce his long-estranged wife Caroline of Brunswick. In order to secure his divorce George had a special bill moved in the House of Lords. The Lords heard evidence of the Queen's adultery, but with public opinion strongly in Caroline's favour, the measure was ultimately withdrawn by the government.[2] Caroline remained married to George until her death the following year.

For the events the painting is based on, see Pains and Penalties Bill 1820.
The Trial of Queen Caroline
ArtistGeorge Hayter
Year1823
TypeOil on canvas, historical painting
LocationNational Gallery, London

Persons portrayed

The painting was commissioned by George Agar-Ellis, a rising young Whig Member of Parliament and supporter of Caroline.[3] It depicts the sixth day of the proceedings.[4] Caroline herself is seated near the front of the picture facing sideways. Amongst those prominent in the picture are the Whig opposition politicians Lord Holland and Earl Grey, with the latter standing and cross-examining a witness. Amongst the large crowd are the current Prime Minister Lord Liverpool and the government ministers the Duke of Wellington and Lord Castlereagh along with former or future Prime Ministers William Grenville, Henry Addington, Lord John Russell and Lord Melbourne. Also included are two of the King's brothers the Duke of York and Duke of Clarence, the future William IV. Agar-Ellis appears prominently on the right of the painting and in the bottom right hand corner is a self-portrait of the artist.[5]

Exhibitions

It was exhibited at Cauty's Great Rooms at Schomberg House in Pall Mall in 1823. Hayter went on to produce several contemporary history paintings including the Reformed House of Commons as well as the Coronation and Wedding of Queen Victoria. It is now part of the collection of the National Gallery in London, following a 1912 gift by the Art Fund.[5]

See also

References
  1. Duff p.75
  2. Thompson p.111
  3. Arnold p.36
  4. Perry p.14
  5. "The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820 - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2023.

Bibliography
  • Arnold, Dana. Squanderous and Lavish Profusion: George IV, His Image and Patronage of the Arts. Georgian Group, 1995.
  • Duff, David (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of British Romanticism. Oxford University Press, 2018.
  • Perry, Lara. History's Beauties: Women in the National Portrait Gallery, 1856-1900. Ashgate Publishing, 2006.
  • Robins, Jane. The Trial of Queen Caroline: The Scandalous Affair that Nearly Ended a Monarchy. Simon and Schuster, 2006.
  • Thompson, Jason. Queen Caroline and Sir William Gell: A Study in Royal Patronage and Classical Scholarship. Springer, 2018.
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