The Boyhood of Raleigh
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| The Boyhood of Raleigh | |
|---|---|
_-_The_Boyhood_of_Raleigh_-_N01691_-_National_Gallery.jpg) | |
| Artist | John Everett Millais |
| Year | 1870 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 120.6 cm × 142.2 cm (47.5 in × 56.0 in) |
| Location | Tate Gallery, London |
The Boyhood of Raleigh is an 1870 painting by John Everett Millais in the collection of the Tate Gallery. In the painting, Millais depicts famed Elizabethan-era explorer Walter Raleigh and his brother on the Devonshire coast listening to a Genoese sailor pointing out to sea and telling the pair of "tales of wonder on sea and land".[1]
Inspired by an essay written by historian James Anthony Froude, the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1871. Quickly receiving acclaim, it went on to be the subject of parody by numerous 20th century political cartoons and album covers.[2]
The painting was inspired by an essay written by James Anthony Froude on England's Forgotten Worthies, which described the lives of Elizabethan seafarers. It was also probably influenced by a contemporaneous biography of Raleigh, which imagined his experiences listening to old sailors as a boy. Millais travelled to Budleigh Salterton to paint the location.
Millais's sons Everett and George modelled for the boys. The sailor was a professional model.[3] Millais' friend and biographer, the critic Marion Spielmann, stated that he was intended to be Genoese. He also argues that the sailor is pointing south towards the "Spanish main".[3]
