Framed oil on board (31.5 x 24 inches, when unframed)
In this painting, one can see Richard III on the left. Beside him is the horse he so desperately needed at the battle of Bosworth field: "my kingdom for a horse". In the middle distance is Lord Stanley, who has his eye to the main chance, about to pick his side, against Richard. In the far distance is Sheriff Hutton castle, where Warick the king-maker was active, and where the princes may have been held. Sheriff Hutton is where I (the artist) grew up. All these events are held as a reflection within the frame of a broken mirror. The mirror's fracture is symbolic of Richard's imminent demise and the simple wooden frame is austere in its crude simplicity, like his reign. The mirror is set in the modern world, where we see a wooden sword and shield that are those of the princes. The wooden toys are symbols of the illegitimacy of Richard's crown and also the absence of the princes (the toys lay not played with). The tower of London is also visible; this is where the royal princes met their end, one of which was a successional threat to Richard. Richard gazes out of the mirror; does he lament murdering them, or does he regret the failure of his ambitions…...that is for you, the viewer, to decide. In any case, the events both transcend time and space, leaping from the past to the present. This is a cautionary tale indeed!
Original painting: £950 use Contact Us
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Ref: Richard the Third
Location: UK
Artist: Iain Will