A magnificently conserved drawing of the Battle of Waterloo by celebrated Cork artist Daniel Maclise (1809-1870) has just gone on display at the Royal Academy in London. The critically acclaimed cartoon – The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo – is over 13 metres wide and 3 metres high. It is on display for the first time since 1972 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Tim Marlow, Director of Artistic Programmes at the Royal Academy of Arts said, ‘Epic doesn’t begin to describe either Daniel Maclise’s original drawings or the restoration project that The Waterloo Cartoon has just undergone. Only by seeing it will anyone fully understand its power, impact and importance’.
The term cartoon – from the Italian ‘cartone’ – means a large sheet of paper, usually a full-size preparatory drawing. This one served for a famous painting in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. Conservation of one of the largest and most detailed cartoons to survive in the UK was carried out at the Royal Academy thanks to a grant from Arts Council, England.
It took the artist over a year to complete in 1858-59. The battle was then within living memory and he carried out extensive research. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert even became involved, using their contacts in Germany to gather information from Prussian officers who were present on the day. Maclise’s image is remarkable for its lack of triumphalism, instead highlighting the stoicism of Wellington and Blücher when faced with human suffering and the tragedy of war.
Daniel Maclise: The Waterloo Cartoon is at The Royal Academy until January 3, 2016.
Daniel Maclise, R.A.
Cartoon for ‘The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher After the Battle of Waterloo’
1858-1859 © Royal Academy of Arts, London; Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited
A detail of the work.
A detail of the work.
Conservation process of The Waterloo Cartoon by Daniel Maclise, R.A.
©Benedict Johnson
