National Gallery painting to visit Parliament, marking 200 years of the Act that established the Gallery

St Stephen’s Hall, Palace of Westminster
25 November – 15 December 2024

One of the original 38 paintings that formed the earliest iteration of the National Gallery will visit St Stephen’s Hall in the Palace of Westminster next month (November 2024).

Marking 200 years since the establishment of the National Gallery through an Act of Parliament, Claude’s Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, (1641) will be on display for three weeks and will be the focus of a UK Parliament Friday Late event on 6 December .

When the financier John Julius Angerstein (1735‒-1823) died, his family decided to sell 38 of his best paintings – included in this selection was this work and several others by Claude. Several influential Members of Parliament were active in persuading the government of Prime Minister Lord Liverpool (in office 1812-1827) to establish an art gallery in imitation of other European countries to adorn the capital. On 10 May 1824 the National Gallery opened in Angerstein’s house in Pall Mall. The public could visit four days a week and two other days were reserved for artists. Admission was free, as it remains to this day. In 1838 the collection moved to the purpose-built Gallery building, designed by William Wilkins, in Trafalgar Square.

Members of the public booking onto Parliamentary tours will be able to view the temporary installation as they make their way through St Stephen’s Hall.

Additionally, members of the public will also have the opportunity to attend a one-off evening event at St Stephen’s Hall on 6 December which will feature a series of talks covering the loan, a drawing workshop, and an introduction to the wider Parliamentary Art Collection. The talks will be delivered by a curator from the National Gallery and Parliament’s Heritage Collections team.

This important work is an ambitious and typical work by the French artist, Claude Lorrain (1604/5‒1682), whose classicising landscapes and port scenes were much admired and imitated in Britain. In the setting of a meticulously rendered seaport, he has portrayed the moment Saint Ursula prepares to embark on her legendary journey.

According to Christian tradition, Ursula was a devout British princess from the 4th century. She set sail on a pilgrimage to Rome accompanied by 11,000 virgin followers. On their return, they were attacked in Cologne by the Huns, nomadic warriors who were terrorising much of Europe. After refusing to accept a proposal of marriage from their leader, Ursula and her companions were martyred. Despite variations in the legend’s details, Ursula’s unwavering faith and devotion have made her a revered figure in Christian tradition. She has inspired artistic and cultural interpretations for centuries.

The scene also allowed the artist to demonstrate his distinctive mastery of light and atmosphere, in techniques which went on to inspire the future work of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775‒1851) and John Constable (1776‒1837). The golden sky suggests the calm of dawn, enveloping the busy port in a peaceful atmosphere.

The painting may even have inspired a famous British architect. The tall building to the distant left of the port has a remarkable resemblance to the ‘Italianate’ architecture of 18–19 Kensington Palace Gardens. This was designed in 1845 by Sir Charles Barry (1795‒1860), the architect of the Houses of Parliament.

In St Stephen’s Hall, the maritime theme of the painting complements the painted murals. This series was commissioned in the 1920s by a committee of politicians, artists and historians that selected topics that told the story of the nation's ‘liberties’ and the scheme was titled ‘The Building of Britain’. Some scenes reflect narratives of voyage and journey, which the committee saw as central to British history and legend.

St Stephen’s Hall is part of regular guided tours of the Houses of Parliament and Palace of Westminster. It is also part of visits made by school groups and Parliament guides will be working with the National Gallery’s artist educators on resources and leading conversations around the painting’s history and understanding the stories it tells. The ticketed Friday Late at the Palace of Westminster will spotlight the Gallery’s Bicentenary and the historic role of Parliament in the arts in the UK.

Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said: ‘The National Gallery has its origin in the decision by Parliament to acquire a collection for the use and enjoyment of the public. In our Bicentenary we want to recognise and celebrate the essential role that Parliament played in establishing a gallery of great paintings for all.'

Melissa Hamnett, Director of Heritage Collections and Chief Curator for Parliament, said: ‘We are honoured to be welcoming this historic and culturally significant painting to Parliament to mark what is now our 200-year-old relationship with the National Gallery. Central to the vision behind the National Gallery was to inspire the general public through art, which is why we’re ensuring that Claude’s masterpiece is available for all Parliamentary visitors to see as they make their way through St Stephen’s Hall. I want to thank the team at the National Gallery for making this exciting moment possible.’

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Image: Claude, 'Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula', 1641

Notes to editors

Image

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free.

On 10 May 2024 the National Gallery was 200 years old, and we started our Bicentenary celebration, a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination, marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together.

Press enquiries

Imogen Sebba, Press Manager NG200, imogen.sebba@nationalgallery.org.uk
National Gallery Press Office on 020 7747 2865 or email National Gallery Press Office press.external@nationalgallery.org.uk
Publicity images can be obtained from https://press.nationalgallery.org.uk/