Windsor Castle from the Lower Court on the Fifth of November—Fireworks
1776
Medium
Aquatint, with etching, in brown on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 29.6 × 46.4 cm (11 11/16 × 18 5/16 in.); Sheet: 31.4 × 47.4 cm (12 3/8 × 18 11/16 in.)
Classification
aquatint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129597
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
While Paul Sandby produced many views of Windsor Castle in various media throughout his career, this scene of the celebration of Guy Fawkes Night is particularly notable for its concentration on the townspeople and their festivities, elements that usually appear as minor details in his works. Guy Fawkes Night, also called Bonfire Night, is a celebration of the Gunpowder Plot of November 5, 1605, in which Catholic conspirators allegedly attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. The...
About the Artist
Paul Sandby · 1731–1809
Paul Sandby (1731–1809), an English painter and draughtsman born in Nottingham, is celebrated as the father of English watercolour landscape painting. He learned drawing from his older brother Thomas Sandby, a prominent architect and artist, and followed him into the Military Drawing Office at the Tower of London, where they honed their skills as military draughtsmen. In 1747, Paul accompanied Tho...