This informal group portrait, or ‘conversation piece’, shows dr john clayton, founder of salford grammar school, with a fellow teacher and ten of their pupils at the end of their school term. Dr clayton stands, as if on a stage set, at the entrance to his school. In his hand he holds a scroll, containing a latin quotation from the classical poet horace, which can be translated as ‘now drink in these words with a pure heart, boy’. While some of the boys recite verses especially written for the end of term, others are already engaged in sports and various high jinks. Object Type: painting. Date: circa 1738. Dimensions: height: 120.7 cm (47.5 in); width: 174.6 cm (68.7 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Tate Britain. Arthur Devis 14
Loading...
