Sir David Wilkie, 'The Village Holiday', 1809-11
About the work
Overview
Wilkie was famous for his paintings of everyday life. Here he represents a local pub scene. Recalling the classical theme of choosing between vice and virtue, one man is torn between staying to drink with his friends or going home with his family. The man slumped in the corner on the right acts as a stark warning of the effects of drinking to excess. Between the large oil sketch made in preparation for this work, and this final version, the artist amended the composition to sit the buildings further back within the scene.
This painting was purchased from the collection of Sir John Julius Angerstein to found the National Gallery in 1824. Hogarth’s The Painter and his Pug, and his celebrated series Marriage A-la Mode also formed part of the original purchase. As a living artist, Wilkie’s inclusion meant contemporary art was included from the outset in the National Gallery Collection. Hogarth’s The Painter and his Pug and this work by Wilkie were both transferred to the Tate Gallery, Millbank, during the twentieth century.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Village Holiday
- Artist
- Sir David Wilkie
- Artist dates
- 1785 - 1841
- Date made
- 1809-11
- Medium and support
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 94 × 127.6 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Tate: Purchased 1824
- Inventory number
- L1357
- Location
- Room 34
- Image copyright
- Tate: Purchased 1824
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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