# Peaceable Kingdom

**Edward Hicks** (American, 1780–1849)  
ca. 1830–32  
Oil on canvas  
17 7/8 x 23 7/8 in. (45.4 x 60.6 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970.283.1. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11081).

## About this work

A lion, a leopard, an ox and lambs gather peacefully with children among them, illustrating Isaiah’s prophecy that “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb … and a little child shall lead them”. Edward Hicks, a Quaker minister and sign painter, painted the subject some sixty times, and many versions include, in the background, William Penn making his treaty with the Lenape, an image of the peace Hicks believed possible in Pennsylvania. The wide-eyed animals, rendered with the flat clarity of his trade, have also been read as reflections of the divisions troubling the Quaker community in his day.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Edward Hicks painted this in about 1830–32, aged about 47. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Edward Hicks](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/edward-hicks)

American, 1780–1849; born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania; died in Newtown, Pennsylvania

Hicks was a Quaker minister in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who earned his living as a coach and sign painter. He is best known for the Peaceable Kingdom, a subject drawn from Isaiah’s prophecy of animals lying down together, which he painted more than sixty times, often with William Penn’s treaty with the Lenape in the background. The pictures reflect his faith and the divisions within his own Quaker community. He also painted farm scenes and historical subjects.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was about 47
- Real size: about 18 × 24 in (45 × 61 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Romanticism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/romanticism)
- Subjects: Women, Cows, Lambs, Leopards, Lions, Ox
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/830.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/830/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/peaceable-kingdom-met-11081).