Returning from the Ale House
Painting by William Mulready
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Returning from the Ale House is an oil on canvas genre painting by the Irish artist William Mulready, from 1809. It is held at the Tate Britain, in London.[1]
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| Returning from the Ale House | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | William Mulready |
| Year | 1809 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 78.7 cm × 66 cm (31.0 in × 26 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
Description
It shows a scene in an English village where two drunken men stagger home after a heavy session at the ale house. They toss coins to the village children, who seem very eager to receive them, while two dour schoolmasters look on. A landscape with some trees serves as the background of the scene.[2] Mulready was a noted rival of the established leader of British genre scenes of the Regency era David Wilkie.[3]
The painting was first displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1809, at Somerset House, where it was heavily criticised for its perceived celebration of drunkenness. Three decades later in 1839, Mulready retouched the painting, and sent it into the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1840 at the National Gallery, under the new title Fair Time where it enjoyed a more favourable reception. It was acquired by the art collector Robert Vernon who donated it to the nation as part of the Vernon Gift in 1847. Today it is in the collection of the Tate Britain.[4]