Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-edwin-henry-landseer-323" aria-label="More by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Sir Edwin Henry Landseer</a>
Defeat Comus
Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859
actions: expressive
animal / human
animals: fantastic
attacking
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
female
fighting
hedonism
leisure and pastimes
literature (not Shakespeare)
literature and fiction
Milton, John, ‘Comus’
nudes
objects
party
people
recreational activities
spear
weapons
<p>In 1843 Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, commissioned a number of painters to decorate a small garden pavilion in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The artists were to select scenes from the masque Comus by the seventeenth-century poet John Milton, and subjects from the work of the Romantic novelist and poet Walter Scott. Like Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery (see Lear and Cordelia displayed above) it was hoped that the project would help encourage British history painting.</p><p>This is Edwin Landseer's preliminary sketch, showing the rout of Comus and his company of revellers. The pavilion was pulled down in 1928.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
24 October 2001 – 11 July 2005
2005-07-11
24 October 2001
2001-10-24
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2001-10-24
Making British History
Collection based display
12 October 2020 – 25 September 2022
2022-09-25
12 October 2020 – 25 September 2022
2022-09-25
2020-10-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2020-10-12
Fairy Painting
Collection based display
The Defeat of Comus
support: 889 × 1689 mm
frame: 1207 × 2015 × 140 mm
Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859
<div class="para9">
<span class="text12">In 1843 Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert,      commissioned a number of painters to decorate a small garden pavilion in      the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The artists </span><span class="text0">were      to select scenes from the masque </span><span class="text13">Comus</span><span class="text0"> by the seventeenth-century poet John Milton, and subjects      from the work  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/r/romanticism" title="Glossary definition for 'Romanticism'"><span>Romantic</span></a> novelist and poet Walter Scott. Like      Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery (see </span><span class="text13">Lear and      Cordelia</span><span class="text0"> displayed above)  it was hoped that the      project would help </span><span class="text12">encourage British <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/h/history-painting" title="Glossary definition for 'History painting'"><span>history      painting</span></a>. </span>
</div>
<div class="para1">
<span class="text12">
<br/> </span>
</div>
<div class="para9">
<span class="text0">This is Edwin Landseer's preliminary </span><span class="text12">
sketch, showing the rout of Comus and  his company of revellers.      The pavilion was pulled down in 1928. </span>
</div>

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2004-09-08T00:00:00
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actions: expressive animal / human animals: fantastic attacking emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas female fighting hedonism leisure and pastimes literature and fiction literature (not Shakespeare) Milton, John, ‘Comus’ nudes objects party people recreational activities spear weapons