The Life of Buckingham

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Life of Buckingham as painting (England, 19th century, Victorian · c. 1855).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

Augustus Leopold Egg’s The Life of Buckingham depicts a fictional moment in the debauched, roguish life of George Villiers (1628–1687), 2nd Duke of Buckingham (seated at the center, wearing white). Although the scene is invented, the merrymakers and courtesans depicted around the table (among them King Charles II, to B

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

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A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this painting as oil on board and credits Augustus Leopold Egg (British, 1816-c. 1863).

The museum's collection notes: Augustus Leopold Egg’s The Life of Buckingham depicts a fictional moment in the debauched, roguish life of George Villiers (1628–1687), 2nd Duke of Buckingham (seated at the center, wearing white). Although the scene is invented, the merrymakers and courtesans depicted around the table (among them King Charles II, to Buckingham’s right) were characters the duke would have personally known and were familiar to Victorian audiences who delighted in the cautionary tale of excess.

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Life of Buckingham

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