Jael and Sisera (Northcote)
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| Jael and Sisera | |
|---|---|
_-_Jael_and_Sisera_-_03-881_-_Royal_Academy_of_Arts.jpg) | |
| Artist | James Northcote |
| Year | 1787 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, religious painting |
| Dimensions | 124.5 cm × 155 cm (49.0 in × 61 in) |
| Location | Royal Academy of Arts, London |
Jael and Sisera is a 1787 religious history painting by the British artist James Northcote. It depicts a scene from the Old Testament Book of Judges featuring Jael and Sisera. Jael, Kenite woman allied to the Jews, is about to slay the Canaanite general Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head. The subject had been a popular one in art.[1]
Northcote had been a pupil and protégé of the first President of the Royal Academy Joshua Reynolds. When Northcote was elected to full members of the Royal Academy in 1787 he was required to submit a diploma work and chose this painting. It was displayed at the Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester in 1857. It remains in the collection of the Royal Academy, now based in Burlington House.[2] Northcote's depiction became one of the most popular illustrations for the scene during the nineteenth century.[3]
