Queen of Edward IV parting with the Duke of York by Order of Richard III
Medium
Black chalk with touches of red chalk on cream wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper
Dimensions
26.7 × 36.5 cm (10 9/16 × 14 3/8 in.)
Classification
graphite
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80942
Art Historical Context
In this poignant drawing, *Queen of Edward IV Parting with the Duke of by Order of Richard III Giovanni Battista Cipriani a heart-wrenching moment from history. The scene depicts Queen Elizabeth Woodville, widow of King Edward IV, bidding farewell to her young son, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, under the command of his uncle, Richard III. This evokes the infamous "Princes in the Tower" during the Wars of the Roses a tale immortalized in Shakespeare's *Richard*, symbolizing betrayal, power struggles, and maternal anguish in late 15th-century England. Cipriani, an Italian artist who flou...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Cipriani · 1766–1839
Giovanni Battista Cipriani was born on April 20, 1766, in Siena, Italy, to Simon Pietro Cipriani and Eva Bandini. He grew up alongside his brothers Barbato, a sculptor, and Galgano, an engraver, in a family immersed in the arts. Cipriani began his education studying Latin and mathematics before pursuing fine arts under the sculptor and architect Giuseppe Silini in Siena.) His talent earned him a p...