# The Golden Age

**Sir John Edward Poynter** (English, 1836–1919)  
1875  
Oil on canvas  
137.2 × 53.4 cm (54 × 21 in.); Framed: 162.2 × 78.7 cm (63 7/8 × 31 in.)

Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2002.379. [The museum's record](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/160031).

## About this work

Sir John Edward Poynter painted this in 1875, aged 39. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.

### What you’re looking at

A work made of oil on canvas.

_Description from the Art Institute of Chicago._

### 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.

### [Sir John Edward Poynter](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/sir-john-edward-poynter)

English, 1836–1919

Poynter studied in Rome and in Paris under Charles Gleyre, and made his name with large classical and biblical scenes such as Israel in Egypt. He was an influential administrator: the first Slade Professor at University College London, director for art at the South Kensington Museum, Director of the National Gallery from 1894 to 1904 and President of the Royal Academy from 1896. Through his wife, Agnes Macdonald, he was related by marriage to Burne-Jones and Kipling.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: England
- The artist was 39
- Real size: about 54 × 21 in (137 × 53 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 30 × 40 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: men, nudes, ladders, trees, man, foliage, cloth, fruit
- 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/343.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/343/1920.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; 24 × 36 in $108; 30 × 40 in $148
- 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; 24 × 36 in $258; 30 × 40 in $338
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148; 24 × 36 in $178; 30 × 40 in $228
- 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; 24 × 36 in $5; 30 × 40 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/the-golden-age-aic-160031).