“The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” by Paul Delaroche – An Analysis
Paul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is a poignant and masterfully detailed historical painting that captures a tragic moment in English history. Completed in 1833, the artwork depicts the final moments of Lady Jane Grey, the “Nine Days’ Queen,” who was deposed and executed at the tender age of 16. Delaroche’s painting is celebrated for its dramatic realism, emotional intensity, and meticulous attention to period detail, which together create a powerful visual narrative. The composition, lighting, and expressions of the figures all contribute to a sense of impending doom, making the viewer deeply empathize with the young queen’s fate. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey remains one of Delaroche’s most famous works, exemplifying his skill in merging history with art to evoke deep emotional responses.
Artist Abstract: Who Was Paul Delaroche?
Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche was born on July 17, 1797, and died on November 4, 1856. Born in Paris, he was one of the foremost French artists who painted realistic renderings of historical subject matter. He was a student at the École des Beaux-Arts and learned from the artist Louis Étienne Watelet, who was a landscape painter.
Later, he also learned from Antoine-Jean Gros, who was a history painter and where his style started shifting to the historical subject matter. He was also acquaintances with the renowned Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix. Some of his famous paintings included The Children of Edward (1831), Peter the Great (1838), and Bonaparte Crossing the Alps (1850).
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833) by Paul Delaroche in Context
| Artist | Paul Delaroche (1797 – 1856) |
| Date Painted | 1833 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Genre | History painting |
| Period / Movement | Romanticism |
| Dimensions (cm) | 246 x 297 |
| Series / Versions | N/A |
| Where Is It Housed? | The National Gallery, London, England |
| What It Is Worth | Reportedly sold for £1, 575 in 1891 at an auction |
In the article below, we will discuss Paul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey painting analysis, providing a contextual overview of the historical background, along with other interesting facts about when it was exhibited. We will also discuss a formal analysis of the subject matter and painting techniques.
Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview
If you are not too familiar with English history, you might not know who exactly the main protagonist, Lady Jane Grey, is depicted in the history painting The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche, which also leads to the question, “Why was Lady Jane Grey executed?”.
Firstly, Lady Jane Grey was the Queen of England, famously for only nine days, from July 10, 1553, to July 19, 1553. She was King Edward VI’s cousin; a descendant of King Henry VII and she was married to Lord Guildford Dudley.
The short and brief explanation is that she became the heir to the throne when King Edward VI died, which was also largely because she was a Protestant. Reportedly, Mary Tudor was a successor, but the king wanted to preserve Protestantism.
Furthermore, the First Duke of Northumberland, John Dudley, who was also known as ruling England while the king reigned reportedly also planned to make Lady Jane Grey queen and have his son marry her. He was allegedly responsible for influencing the king to change the line of succession.
However, soon after Lady Jane Grey became queen Mary Tudor proclaimed that she should be queen and after a complexity of events, Lady Jane Grey and her husband were charged with “high treason” and sentenced to death.
It is important to note that the above is a brief overview of who Lady Jane Grey was and why she was executed. The historical facts about her life and those involved are complex and require a deeper level of research for further understanding.
Formal Analysis: A Brief Compositional Overview
In the formal analysis, we will start with a visual description of The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche and the stylistic aspects of the painting outlined by the art elements of color, texture, line, shape, form, and space.
Subject Matter: Visual Description
There are five figures depicted in The Execution of Lady Jane Grey painting, within an interior setting. There are two figures on the left, leaning against a large column, who are believed to be Lady Jane’s ladies-in-waiting, both appear to be in a state of anguish. One of the ladies appears to have sunken onto the floor, resting her head against the column with Lady Grey’s dress in her lap, and the other is standing with her back to us (the viewers) with both arms against the column and her head seemingly bowing into her arms as if she is unable to face the execution.
The two figures in the center are the main protagonist Lady Jane, who is wearing a white petticoat, blindfolded, and in the process of stabilizing herself on her knees, which are resting on a cushion.
She is fumbling to find the wooden executioner’s block on the straw in front of her. John Brydges, the Lieutenant of the Tower of London, is the figure to her left (our right), and he is partially hunched over, gently guiding her to the block. Interestingly, when Lady Jane Grey was about to be executed, she asked where the block was, she is widely quoted as asking, “What shall I do? Where is it?”.
The man to the right is the executioner, he is watching the two central figures; his left hand is on the long handle of his axe. His countenance appears ambivalent because he appears neutral and ready to execute, which is undoubtedly the norm for him, and if you look closely at his facial expression, he appears to display a sense of dubiety, however, this is questionable.
The figures are all standing and sitting on what appears to be an elevated dais or stage-like surface and the background is composed of the architectural decorations of the interior; the architecture has been described as Romanesque in style.
Color
Paul Delaroche highlights the main scene in the foreground through an unknown light source and the background is darker with more shadows, additionally, it is also in a grey hue, which provides more emphasis on the figures in the foreground.
Furthermore, there is a color harmony created by the consistency of the color scheme, in other words, there are no clashing or overly bright hues.
Along with neutral and more earthy hues like greys, blacks, and browns, there are deep reds, for example, the red of the executioner’s tights, deep mustard hues like the fur lining of John Brydges’ coat, and the blue-green of the cushion under Lady Grey’s knees. Lady Grey is the only figure wearing a white garment; her blindfold is also white, which further creates emphasis on her and the narrative of the composition. The white has also been likened to symbolizing innocence.
Texture
Paul Delaroche was known to paint with clear and clean brushstrokes, which are hardly visible when you look closely at The Execution of Lady Jane Grey painting, which provides the composition with a smooth surface texture and adds more realism to the subject matter.
There is also implied texture, eloquently applied, a few examples include John Brydges’ soft fur-lined coat, the hard metallic surface of the axe to the bottom-right, the velvet texture of the ladies-in-waiting’s dresses, the satin surface of Lady Grey’s petticoat as well as her smooth and unblemished skin tone.
Line
There is natural, also referred to as organic, lines in The Execution of Lady Jane Grey painting, and Paul Delaroche did not create stark outlines to delineate his subject matter, which further heightens the realism of the scene.
Shape and Form
Shape and form as art elements can either be geometric or organic and in Paul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, the dominant shapes and forms are organic, in other words, which would occur in real life and related to objects known by us, for example, the almost triangular shape of the executioner’s block to the more fluid forms of the figures.
Space
Paul Delaroche depicted The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’s compositional space in a unique manner that is described and compared to a “stage”, notably by the elevated space in the foreground and the background that remains a neutral hue, as previously mentioned. Interestingly, this painting has been compared to a tableau vivant, which means “living picture” in French.
This was a form of entertainment where actors would enact a scene; however, they would be completely still in their stance. Delaroche’s figures are seemingly placed as if they are actors on a stage.
Lady Jane Grey: A Glimpse in Time
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche painting was exhibited in 1834 at the Paris Salon William Eaton, the Second Baron Cheylesmore, donated it to the National Gallery in 1902. Interestingly, the painting was also lost for some time and believed to have perished during the Thames flood in 1928, but it was found by Christopher Johnstone in 1973 in his quest for another painting.
This article discussed The Execution of Lady Jane Grey painting analysis, a historical painting depicting a moment in time that most of us would never have known about, specifically the moment before Lady Jane Grey’s execution. It evokes feelings of sadness, shock, and the undeniable horror associated with how such a young woman had to come face-to-face with death, ironically blindfolded too.
Paul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey stands as a powerful testament to the artist’s ability to convey historical tragedy with emotional depth and precision. Through its haunting realism and careful composition, the painting immortalizes the innocence and suffering of Lady Jane Grey, offering a timeless reflection on the fragility of power and the human cost of political machinations. Delaroche’s work not only captures a pivotal moment in history but also resonates with universal themes of loss and injustice, securing its place as a masterpiece that continues to engage and move viewers across generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Painted The Execution of Lady Jane Grey?
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833), oil on canvas, was painted by Paul Delaroche, who was a French Romantic artist known for his realistic portrayals of historical subjects. The painting depicts a particular moment before Lady Jane Grey was beheaded when she was trying to find the block while blindfolded.
Why Was Lady Jane Grey Executed?
Lady Jane Grey, who was also known as the so-called Nine-Day Queen, was the Queen of England for a brief period. She was still a teenager, reportedly between 15 and 17 years old. She was charged with treason and beheaded on February 12, 1554.
Where Is The Execution of Lady Jane Grey?
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833) by Paul Delaroche is held at the National Gallery in London, England. It was passed on to the museum in 1902 by William Eaton who was the Second Baron Cheylesmore.
Alicia du Plessis is a multidisciplinary writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Art History and Classical Civilization, as well as two Honors, namely, in Art History and Education and Development, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. For her main Honors project in Art History, she explored perceptions of the San Bushmen’s identity and the concept of the “Other”. She has also looked at the use of photography in art and how it has been used to portray people’s lives.
Alicia’s other areas of interest in Art History include the process of writing about Art History and how to analyze paintings. Some of her favorite art movements include Impressionism and German Expressionism. She is yet to complete her Masters in Art History (she would like to do this abroad in Europe) having given it some time to first develop more professional experience with the interest to one day lecture it too.
Alicia has been working for artincontext.com since 2021 as an author and art history expert. She has specialized in painting analysis and is covering most of our painting analysis.
Learn more about Alicia du Plessis and the Art in Context Team.
Cite this Article
Alicia, du Plessis, ““The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” by Paul Delaroche – An Analysis.” Art in Context. October 14, 2024. URL: https://artincontext.org/the-execution-of-lady-jane-grey-by-paul-delaroche/
du Plessis, A. (2024, 14 October). “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” by Paul Delaroche – An Analysis. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/the-execution-of-lady-jane-grey-by-paul-delaroche/
du Plessis, Alicia. ““The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” by Paul Delaroche – An Analysis.” Art in Context, October 14, 2024. https://artincontext.org/the-execution-of-lady-jane-grey-by-paul-delaroche/.
