1780
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Crowning the Victors at Olympia. Study for a picture in the Rooms of the Society of Arts. is a 1780 by James Barry, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This drawing was a planning sketch for a mural the artist made. It shows an ancient Olympic game scene. The Royal Society of Arts asked James Barry to do the big room’s artwork. He worked on six canvases for the space. His idea was to remind people to value public good, like the Greeks did. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
A preparatory study by James Barry from 1780, this drawing was created for one of six canvases commissioned by the Royal Society of Arts to decorate its Great Room, with a related drawing held in the V&A collection. The composition depicts an idealized scene of victors being crowned at the Olympic Games, symbolizing the encouragement of public virtue inspired by ancient Greek traditions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
James Barry (11 October 1741 – 22 February 1806) was an Irish painter, best remembered for his six-part series of paintings entitled The Progress of Human Culture in the Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts in London.
See the richer artist page
