Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
The Watts Gift
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/george-frederic-watts-586" aria-label="More by George Frederic Watts" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">George Frederic Watts</a>
Messenger
Presented by the artist 1897
actions: expressive
actions: postures and motions
adults
baby
birth to death
birth to death
book - non-specific
children
comforting
compassion
death
death - woman
diseases and conditions
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
fine arts and music
globe
instrument, violin
man, old
objects
palette
people
reading, writing, printed matter
scientific and measuring
sitting
society
symbols and personifications
tiredness
woman
<p><i>The Messenger</i>, also known as 'The Message of Peace'<i> </i>and 'The Messenger of Death', is one of a series of compositions by Watts that engage with the theme of death ; others include '<i>Sic Transit</i>' (1890-2) (Tate N01638), <i>Time, Death, and Judgement</i> (c.1889-1900) (Tate N01693), and <i>The Court of Death </i>(c.18780-1902) (Tate N01894). <i>The Messenger</i> was among those works that Watts presented to the Nation in 1897, and which are now held in the Tate collection. This work is the first of two large versions of the composition, the second of which is now in a private collection. A very large charcoal drawing of <i>The Messenger</i> is in the Watts Gallery, Compton. This drawing was left unfinished until 1904 when Watts, wishing to replace the Tate work with a 'reconsidered' version, began to paint over this sketch, but died before he could complete it. A small oil sketch in brown and grey monochrome, bearing the same date as the Tate version but simpler in design, is also at Compton. There is a further small drawing of the composition done in black and red chalk in the Lanigan Collection, Canada. The Tate version of <i>The Messenger</i> was shown in the exhibition of Watts's work at the New Gallery in 1896-7. Watts wrote a prefatory note in the catalogue for this exhibition, in which he described many of his compositions. He wrote of this painting: ' "The Messenger" announces repose after life's work. The same power takes charge of Innocence, placing it beyond the reach of evil' (<i>The Works of G.F. Watts R.A.</i>, exhibition catalogue, New Gallery, London 1896-7, p.6). The catalogue entry for <i>The Messenger</i> reveals that it is the moment of death that is depicted: 'A man, worn out with suffering, leans back in his chair; at his side lie the insignia of the various arts now of no more avail; and near him stands the Messenger of Death, who holding an infant on her left arm, touches him with her right hand and bids him come' (<i>The Works of G.F. Watts R.A.</i>, exhibition catalogue, New Gallery, London 1896-7, p.57, no.134). The figure of Death in <i>The Messenger</i> is the same benign, female figure which appears in all of Watts's works on the theme of death. The baby which she carries on her arm is comparable with the baby on Death's lap in <i>The Court of Death</i>, of which Watts remarked: 'even the germ of life is in the lap of Death' (quoted in Lanigan, p.232). The assortment of symbolic accessories, such as the globe and the violin, are comparable with similar items in Watts's later picture, '<i>Sic Transit</i>' (1890-2). Barbara Bryant has suggested that Watts may have derived this motif from the <i>vanitas </i>still-life, 'with its focus on the fragility of man and the transcience of life and beauty'<b> </b>(Wilton and Upstone, p.270). <b>Further reading:</b>Andrew Wilton and Robert Upstone (eds), <i>The Age of Rossetti, Burne-Jones and Watts: Symbolism in Britain, 1860-1910</i>, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery, London 1998, p.74, reproduced p.74, fig.44.Dennis Lanigan and Douglas Schoenherr, <i>A Dream of The Past: Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic Movement Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings from the Lanigan Collection</i>, exhibition catalogue, University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto 2000, pp.231-3. Rebecca ViragJuly 2001</p>
painting oil paint canvas
1 March 2011 – 31 December 2011
2011-12-31
1 March 2011 – 31 December 2011
2011-12-31
2011-03-01
Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village (Compton, UK)
http://www.wattsgallery.org.uk
2011-03-01
Watts Gallery Re-Opening
Loan-out
The Messenger
support: 2743 × 1505 mm
Presented by <a href="/search?gid=999999783" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">the artist</a> 1897
<p><i>The Messenger</i>, also known as 'The Message of Peace'<i> </i>and 'The Messenger of Death', is one of a series of compositions by Watts that engage with the theme of death ; others include '<i>Sic Transit</i>' (1890-2) (Tate <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/watts-sic-transit-n01638" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01638</span></a>), <i>Time, Death, and Judgement</i> (c.1889-1900) (Tate <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/watts-time-death-and-judgement-n01693" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01693</span></a>), and <i>The Court of Death </i>(c.18780-1902) (Tate <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/watts-the-court-of-death-n01894" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N01894</span></a>). <i>The Messenger</i> was among those works that Watts presented to the Nation in 1897, and which are now held in the Tate collection. This work is the first of two large versions of the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/composition" title="Glossary definition for 'Composition'"><span>composition</span></a>, the second of which is now in a private collection. A very large <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/charcoal" title="Glossary definition for 'Charcoal'"><span>charcoal</span></a> <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawing</span></a> of <i>The Messenger</i> is in the Watts Gallery, Compton. This drawing was left unfinished until 1904 when Watts, wishing to replace the Tate work with a 'reconsidered' version, began to paint over this sketch, but died before he could complete it. A small oil sketch in brown and grey <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/monochrome" title="Glossary definition for 'Monochrome'"><span>monochrome</span></a>, bearing the same date as the Tate version but simpler in design, is also at Compton. There is a further small drawing of the composition done in black and red <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/chalk" title="Glossary definition for 'Chalk'"><span>chalk</span></a> in the Lanigan Collection, Canada. 

</p><p>The Tate version of <i>The Messenger</i> was shown in the exhibition of Watts's work at the New Gallery in 1896-7. Watts wrote a prefatory note in the catalogue for this exhibition, in which he described many of his compositions. He wrote of this <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a>: ' "The Messenger" announces repose after life's work. The same power takes charge of Innocence, placing it beyond the reach of evil' (<i>The Works of G.F. Watts R.A.</i>, exhibition catalogue, New Gallery, London 1896-7, p.6). The catalogue entry for <i>The Messenger</i> reveals that it is the moment of death that is depicted: 'A man, worn out with suffering, leans back in his chair; at his side lie the insignia of the various arts now of no more avail; and near him stands the Messenger of Death, who holding an infant on her left arm, touches him with her right hand and bids him come' (<i>The Works of G.F. Watts R.A.</i>, exhibition catalogue, New Gallery, London 1896-7, p.57, no.134). The figure of Death in <i>The Messenger</i> is the same benign, female figure which appears in all of Watts's works on the theme of death. The baby which she carries on her arm is comparable with the baby on Death's lap in <i>The Court of Death</i>, of which Watts remarked: 'even the germ of life is in the lap of Death' (quoted in Lanigan, p.232). The assortment of symbolic accessories, such as the globe and the violin, are comparable with similar items in Watts's later picture, '<i>Sic Transit</i>' (1890-2). Barbara Bryant has suggested that Watts may have derived this motif from the <i><a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/memento-mori" title="Glossary definition for 'Memento Mori'"><span>vanitas</span></a> </i><a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/still-life" title="Glossary definition for 'Still life'"><span>still-life</span></a>, 'with its focus on the fragility of man and the transcience of life and beauty'<b> </b>(Wilton and Upstone, p.270).

</p><p><b>Further reading:<br/></b>Andrew Wilton and Robert Upstone (eds), <i>The Age of Rossetti, Burne-Jones and Watts: Symbolism in Britain, 1860-1910</i>, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery, London 1998, p.74, reproduced p.74, fig.44.<br/>Dennis Lanigan and Douglas Schoenherr, <i>A Dream of The Past: Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic Movement Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings from the Lanigan Collection</i>, exhibition catalogue, University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto 2000, pp.231-3.

</p><p>Rebecca Virag<br/>July 2001</p>
Summary
2005-09-15T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
actions: expressive actions: postures and motions adults baby birth to death birth to death book - non-specific children comforting compassion death death - woman diseases and conditions emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas fine arts and music globe instrument, violin man, old objects palette people reading, writing, printed matter scientific and measuring sitting society symbols and personifications tiredness woman