Canterbury Pilgrims
Medium
Pen and black ink, with brush and gray wash and touches of white gouache, over traces of graphite, on tan tracing paper, tipped onto card
Dimensions
10.1 × 14.6 cm (4 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
46995
Art Historical Context
Henry Stacy Marks' *Canterbury Pilgrims* (n.d.) captures the lively spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer's14th-century masterpiece,The Canterbury Tales*. This intimate drawing depicts the motley band of pilgrims journeying to the shrine of Thomas Becket, a timeless English literary scene that resonated in Victorian art. Marks, a prominent 19th-century British painter known for his detailed genre scenes and avian subjects, brings a whimsical touch to this medieval procession, blending historical revival with his era's fascination for narrative storytelling. Executed in pen and black ink with brush and g...
About the Artist
Henry Stacy Marks · 1829–1898
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1898) was born on 13 September 1829 in London, the fourth child of coachbuilder John Isaac Marks and Elizabeth Pally. Initially apprenticed in his father's trade and briefly working as a clerk, Marks displayed early artistic talent, learning to paint heraldry for carriages. He began formal training around 1847 at James Mathews Leigh's art school in Newman Street, where he b...