Evening in Venice

This painting demonstrates the permeability of different art forms and national traditions in early nineteenth-century Europe. Born in Britain, Richard Parkes Bonington moved to France at a young age. He trained there in the French academic manner, eventually joining the artistic and literary circle of the painter Eugène Delacroix. Drawing from one of his own illustrations for Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, he depicts the play’s hero, Bassanio, standing at the center of the composition, having just won the favor of the heroine, Portia. Pledging her fortune to him, Portia gives Bassanio a ring, while her maid, Nerissa, looks on. Bonington also engages the tradition of Renaissance painting by adopting the soft hues of the Venetian school, which he had encountered during his Italian travels. A prodigy in his day, the young artist died of tuberculosis just months after completing this work.