England: Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent’s Birthday
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: exhibited 1819
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1800 x 3346 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the painting *England: Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent’s Birthday* by Joseph Mallord William Turner. The canvas measures 1800 × 3346 mm and was first shown in 1819, right when Turner was trying to win favour from the Prince Regent. He imagined a grand, patriotic scene – a sunny summer day on Richmond Hill, with a lively picnic party, a view of the River Thames and a subtle nod to the monarchy. The bright, luminous palette is typical of Turner’s early work, though he was already moving toward the dramatic light effects he’d become famous for.
Turner’s ambition shines through: the painting is huge for a pastoral subject, almost as if it were a manifesto of England’s prosperity and peace. He wanted to persuade the Prince Regent that the country could be celebrated in such a grand visual statement. Yet the Prince refused to buy it, and the work sat unsold for a long time. Royal approval would continue to elude Turner throughout his life. The painting offers a snapshot of an England Turner hoped to uplift – a pastoral picnic set against the backdrop of a hopeful nation, all captured with his daring, airy brushwork.
See it in person
England: Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent’s Birthday is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
