Object of the Day: The Trial of Thomas, Earl of Stafford by William Fisk

The engraving which hangs in The Palace of Westminster

I’m going to go out on a limb here and challenge The House of Parliament. In the collection located at the Palace of Westminster hangs an engraving which they attribute to Painter William Henry Fisk. I believe that that attribution is incorrect. The engraving, The Trial of Thomas, Earl of Stafford at Westminster Hall, 1641 was produced in a limited run of about two hundred (according to the almost illegible pencil marking on the engraving). One of these engravings hangs in the Palace of Westminster. One of them hangs here in my study.

A portion of the engraving which hangs in Texas.

I have the advantage of being able to look at the engraving itself. The artist has signed the work himself as has the engraver. The signature is plainly “William Fisk, 1846.” The same hand has written the title and the print run. While the engraving in Parliament is attributed to William Henry Fisk (1827-1884), I believe it is the work of his father, William Fisk (1796-1872).

First of all, the elder Fisk was a well-known painter of historical scenes while his son was an anatomical artist and landscape painter whose paintings of trees were exhibited at the Royal Academy and were a great favorite of the Queen. This work speaks more to the former than the latter. This work also bears a striking resemblance to another work by the elder Fisk which shows the Trial of Charles I.

I think that the Palace of Westminster has incorrectly attributed their engraving to the wrong Fisk. The original painting upon which this engraving is based cannot be located. However, I can see quite plainly in this limited edition engraving from 1846 that this is the work of the father and not the son.

It goes to show that everyone makes mistakes.