Allegorical Tomb of Joseph Addison (1642-1719) Essayist and...
Allegorical Tomb of Joseph Addison (1642-1719) Essayist and Poet
Oil on canvas. Commissioned during the 1720s by the impresario Owen Swiny (1676-1754), this painting is by the Italian Baroque artist Donato Creti. It once formed part of a series of 24 allegorical tomb paintings, made by a team of Venetian and Bolognese artists, which were intended to commemorate great Englishmen, particularly those involved in the revolution of 1688, when King James II was overthrown. There is another example from the series, also painted by Creti, in the Government Art Collection: â€Allegorical Tomb of Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton (1648-1715) Politician’ (GAC 4528).