''A Dialogue at Waterloo'' is an 1850

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

by the British

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. His best-known work is the lion sculptures at the base of Nelso ...

. It depicts the elderly

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

visiting the battlefield of Waterloo in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

many decades after he led Allied forces to victory there in 1815. He is shown on horseback in the company of his daughter-in-law Marchioness of Douro. A young woman settling souvenirs of the battle attempts to attract his interest. The artist David Roberts was the model for the Belgian farmer in the background. It was a visit drawn from the artist's own imagination Landseer visited Belgium during his preparation for the painting. It was displayed at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

of 1850 at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

where it was one of the most popular works on display. Before it was completed the painting had been bought by Robert Vernon as a gift to the nation. Today it is in the collection of the

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

.https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/landseer-a-dialogue-at-waterloo-n00415

References

Bibliography

* Bury, Stephen (ed.) ''Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators, Volume 1''. OUP, 2012. * Harrington, Peter. ''British Artists and War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700-1914''. Greenhill Books, 1993. * Ormond, Richard. ''Sir Edwin Landseer''. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981. 1850 paintings Paintings by Edwin Henry Landseer Paintings in the Tate galleries Oil on canvas paintings History paintings Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Paintings of dogs Food and drink paintings Horses in art {{1850s-painting-stub