Floor plan

Time and place19th-century Britain

19th-century Britain

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1835
A work made of graphite on ivory wove paper.
The Entombment, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1879
Sabrina, by Samuel Palmer, 1856
From a grassy riverbank, we look across the placid surface of a river lined along the far bank with trees and farm animals in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is painted loosely with brushstrokes visible throughout, so some details are difficult to make out. For the surface of the river, russet-brown and steel-gray paint skims lightly across the canvas and leaves some unpainted areas visible, creating the effect of light shimmering on the still water. On our left, a shallow wooden barge is propelled along the stream by two men in red caps with long poles. The boat carries a white horse wearing blinders and a harness. The riverbank beyond is lined with pale, sage-green grass tinged with gold, growing in front of a tangle of darker green trees and bushes. Across the water from us near the middle of the picture, a small rowboat sits in the shallows at the foot of a steep riverbank. Above, a white cottage with a reddish roof and chimney is tucked behind the trees, with a wooden rack full of hay next to it. Nearby, a plow and wheeled cart, highlighted with strokes of white, sit near more mounds of hay. Rocky fields reach into the distance. The vista is blocked to our right by another clump of trees and a rocky outcropping, rising from the stream, to our right of center. The steep, dark roof of a farmhouse is barely visible among the trees. Along the riverside to our right, a small group of cinnamon-brown and cream-white cows stand at water's edge. A rolling pasture stretches behind them to meet blue hills in the distance. Above, in the upper third of the painting, mottled white, pale rose, and gray clouds rolling across a steel-gray sky are reflected in the water below.
The image shows a landscape with a rolling hill in the foreground sloping downward. The horizon is high, providing a view over fields and sky. Sheep graze on the hill, tended by a person. A large, dark tree is on the right. Brushstrokes vary in the sky and land, with broad strokes for clouds and finer ones for grass and foliage. The color palette is mainly black, white, and shades of grey, highlighting light and shadow.
This painting shows a serene pastoral scene with trees, a wooden gate, and foliage extending towards the horizon. Closest to us, there is a low riverbank with some tree branches in the water. Up a grassy dirt hill, two donkeys are visible off to the right, partially hidden by vegetation. On the left, a dirt path leads to the wooden gate. To the left of the gate, two people sit on the grass with a wicker basket between them. The tall trees that rise in the background have leaves in shades of green, yellow, and dark orange. The sky above the scene is yellow with some hints of light blue, and golden light shines down on the landscape.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in Britain in the 19th century.

Section 1, north wall

  1. The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1835
    The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1835Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of graphite on ivory wove paper.
    A Byzantine Well-headFrederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton, 1852Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. The Entombment, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1879
    The EntombmentSir Edward Burne-Jones, 1879Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Sabrina, by Samuel Palmer, 1856
    SabrinaSamuel Palmer, 1856Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. From a grassy riverbank, we look across the placid surface of a river lined along the far bank with trees and farm animals in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is painted loosely with brushstrokes visible throughout, so some details are difficult to make out. For the surface of the river, russet-brown and steel-gray paint skims lightly across the canvas and leaves some unpainted areas visible, creating the effect of light shimmering on the still water. On our left, a shallow wooden barge is propelled along the stream by two men in red caps with long poles. The boat carries a white horse wearing blinders and a harness. The riverbank beyond is lined with pale, sage-green grass tinged with gold, growing in front of a tangle of darker green trees and bushes. Across the water from us near the middle of the picture, a small rowboat sits in the shallows at the foot of a steep riverbank. Above, a white cottage with a reddish roof and chimney is tucked behind the trees, with a wooden rack full of hay next to it. Nearby, a plow and wheeled cart, highlighted with strokes of white, sit near more mounds of hay. Rocky fields reach into the distance. The vista is blocked to our right by another clump of trees and a rocky outcropping, rising from the stream, to our right of center. The steep, dark roof of a farmhouse is barely visible among the trees. Along the riverside to our right, a small group of cinnamon-brown and cream-white cows stand at water's edge. A rolling pasture stretches behind them to meet blue hills in the distance. Above, in the upper third of the painting, mottled white, pale rose, and gray clouds rolling across a steel-gray sky are reflected in the water below.
    The White HorseJohn Constable, 1818-1819Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows a landscape with a rolling hill in the foreground sloping downward. The horizon is high, providing a view over fields and sky. Sheep graze on the hill, tended by a person. A large, dark tree is on the right. Brushstrokes vary in the sky and land, with broad strokes for clouds and finer ones for grass and foliage. The color palette is mainly black, white, and shades of grey, highlighting light and shadow.
    NoonDavid Lucas, 1830Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This painting shows a serene pastoral scene with trees, a wooden gate, and foliage extending towards the horizon. Closest to us, there is a low riverbank with some tree branches in the water. Up a grassy dirt hill, two donkeys are visible off to the right, partially hidden by vegetation. On the left, a dirt path leads to the wooden gate. To the left of the gate, two people sit on the grass with a wicker basket between them. The tall trees that rise in the background have leaves in shades of green, yellow, and dark orange. The sky above the scene is yellow with some hints of light blue, and golden light shines down on the landscape.
    Landscape with Picnickers and Donkeys by a GateJoseph Paul, c. 1830-1880Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. Lady Lilith, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867
    Lady LilithDante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Painting of a dark-skinned man seated and wearing a red open-necked tunic. He looks up to the right. His wrists are shackled and a large chain rests at his right, running down the bench he sits upon.
    The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)John Philip Simpson, 1827Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. The Lake of Zug, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1843
    The Lake of ZugJoseph Mallord William Turner, 1843Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. The Love Song, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1868–77
    The Love SongSir Edward Burne-Jones, 1868–77Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Noah: The Eve of the Deluge, by John Linnell, 1848
    Noah: The Eve of the DelugeJohn Linnell, 1848Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy, by Thomas Lawrence, 1801
    Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-HardyThomas Lawrence, 1801Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Armies of men march and battle along a rocky outcropping set among huge rock formations and massive buildings under a stormy sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The people we can see all have pale skin. Sheets of rain fall from flint-gray clouds on our left into a valley, though hints of peach brighten the clouds along the mountainous horizon there. In the right half of the sky, light pours down from a brilliant white sun that breaks through white clouds to reveal topaz-blue patches of sky. The horizon comes about halfway up the composition and is lined with rugged white, pale pink, and olive-green mountains on our left and silvery-white buildings along the right half. These structures include two domed buildings and a colosseum among many others. The buildings are all enclosed within city walls buttressed with towers. The land dips precipitously from the rocky cliffs supporting the buildings, to sweep down toward us. A huge outcropping angles up like a ramp between us and the buildings in the distance. A road runs from the walled town toward us, down along the ridge and in front of the outcropping. Countless warriors march in rows of four or five across on the road past a man wearing a feathered helmet and armored breastplate. This man, Joshua, stands on a rocky precipice facing away from us with his right hand raised. He wears a scarlet-red toga under his breastplate, and a royal-blue cape flutters at his left side. He holds a round, copper-colored shield and a spear in his other hand. Two men with gray beards stand near Joshua with their backs to us. Both gesture up to the sky. One holds a slender staff and the other a curling horn. They and another pair of men, who stoop to hold poles used to carry a chest, all wear long, ivory-white robes, cherry-red drapery, and white turbans. The column of soldiers on foot and horseback pass in front of Joshua to a massive battlefield to our left. The fight takes place in a valley that leads back to a river. A bolt of lightning zigzags from the storm clouds and strikes a city in the deep distance. The artist signed the painting in the lower right, “J. Martin.”
    Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon GibeonJohn Martin, 1816Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 3, south wall

  1. Descent into the Plain of Granada, by David Roberts, 1834
    Descent into the Plain of GranadaDavid Roberts, 1834Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of oil on panel.
    The Shadow of DeathWilliam Holman Hunt, 1873-74Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago