Artwork
Peaceable Kingdom
Peaceable Kingdom is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Edward Hicks. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This imagery serves as a symbolic representation of the Quaker belief in the possibility of universal peace and the inner light prevailing over worldly strife.
Edward Hicks's 1834 painting depicts the biblical prophecy of The Peaceable Kingdom, a subject drawn from Isaiah's vision of natural enemies coexisting in harmony. The work visualizes this eschatological ideal through the iconography of predators and prey, such as lions and lambs, gathered together without conflict. This imagery serves as a symbolic representation of the Quaker belief in the possibility of universal peace and the inner light prevailing over worldly strife.
By rendering this scriptural promise in oil on canvas, Hicks created a tangible manifestation of spiritual hope and the potential for a reconciled world.
History & Provenance
Peaceable Kingdom was painted by Edward Hicks in 1834. The artist presented the work that same year to Joseph Foulke of Three Tuns, Pennsylvania, who died in 1836. It then passed to Joseph's great-grandson, Thomas Foulke of Ambler, Pennsylvania.
Subsequently the painting entered the collection of Philadelphia dealer Robert Carlen and was sold in 1949 to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Upon their deaths the Garbisches bequeathed the canvas to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains today (accession 1980.62.15).
Overview
Edward Hicks's 'Peaceable Kingdom' (1834) depicts a serene gathering of wild and domestic animals, including lions, tigers, wolves, and lambs, resting together in a pastoral landscape. The composition is divided into two distinct zones: the foreground features the harmonious assembly of beasts under the guidance of a small child, while the background portrays the historical meeting of William Penn and the Lenape people, symbolizing the Quaker ideal of peaceful coexistence. Executed in oil on canvas, the work utilizes a naive, folk-art style characterized by flattened perspective and clear, distinct forms rather than academic realism.
Hicks, a Quaker preacher and itinerant painter, created over sixty versions of this subject throughout his career, using the biblical prophecy from Isaiah 11:6-9 to express his theological convictions and personal struggles with the schism within the Society of Friends. This specific 1834 iteration reflects his mature period, where the allegorical message of universal peace and the historical reference to Penn's treaty serve as a dual meditation on spiritual redemption and American history. The painting stands as a significant example of American folk art, bridging religious didacticism with national mythology.
Context
As a devout Quaker preacher, Edward Hicks's artistic practice was deeply intertwined with his religious beliefs. His repeated depiction of the Peaceable Kingdom theme served as a visual sermon, reflecting the Quaker emphasis on inner light, non-violence, and the potential for human and natural reconciliation. The paintings were not merely illustrations but expressions of his fervent hope for a more harmonious society.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Edward Hicks spent his life caught between two worlds. A Quaker preacher by Sunday and a painter by weekdays, he painted signs and carriages to support his family while quietly building a body of peaceful, crowded…
