The death of Jane Seymour, Queen of England

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This painting, shown at the 1847 Exhibition, is by an artist at the peak of his career as a Romantic painter.  Here, he uses the formula of a historical, non-classical tableau, inherited from the Troubadour school.  In choosing as his theme the death in childbirth of the third wife of Henry VIII, the legendary Bluebeard, he sacrifices the great history of heroes to anecdote.  A Romantic scene of the “happy medium” type, it is painted to please the eye: classic pyramidal composition, light that is simultaneously soft and dramatic; historical accuracy of clothing; decorative use of fabric draperies; refined colour palette of reds and deep greens framing the pale, dying figure of the queen.