Laws on the Tynwald

Date made: 1795

Description: The Laws on the Tynwald, 1795 - the earliest known picture of the Manx national assembly. The riotous collection of figures may have been painted by J. C. Ibbetson, who is known to have worked with Smith. From the canopied Hill rise puffs of smoke from a 'feu de joie' in honour of the King, represented by the Duke of Atholl in person. The old cruciform St. John's Chapel (replaced by the present church in 1849), a carriage standing apart from the rest and probably intended for the Duke, are clearly drawn, and a group of somewhat bucolic-looking tents is also emphasised.

This is one of a series of 18th century watercolour paintings depicting the Isle of Man executed by Britain's leading watercolour artist John 'Warwick' Smith. In the 1790s John ‘Warwick’ Smith was commissioned by the 4th Duke of Atholl, John Murray (1755-1830), then Governor-in-Chief of the Isle of Man, to complete a series of watercolour drawings of the Isle of Man. Twenty-six were completed in total, some of the earliest watercolour paintings depicting the Island. When the Duke died in 1830 the Atholls’ connection to the Isle of Man was severed, and the paintings were taken to Blair Castle, the ancestral home of the Atholl family. In the 1950s the entire set was rediscovered and purchased for the Manx Museum and returned to the Isle of Man.

Measurements: artwork: 30.5 x 43.5cm

Materials: watercolour on paper

Object name: Painting

Collection: Art Collection

ID number: 1954-7220

Subject tags : #Johnwarwicksmith

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