Lot 233: Arthur Twidle (1865-1936)

In Monmouth's ranks - Sedgemoor
'Who then fear to draw the sword
And fight the battle of the Lord?'
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Micah Clarke
signed and dated 'ARTHUR TWIDLE.1903' (lower right) and inscribed 'IN MONMOUTH'S RANKS - SEDGEMOOR./"WHO THEN FEARS TO DRAW THE SWORD/AND FIGHT THE BATTLE OF THE LORD?"/FROM "MICAH CLARKE"/ARTHUR TWIDLE 1903' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
32 3/4 x 27 1/2 in. (83.2 x 69.9 cm.)

London, Royal Academy, 1903, no.255.

Micah Clarke, first published in 1889, was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's third book, following A Study in Scarlet and The Mystery of Cloomber. Written in just three months, whilst working in Portsmouth as a doctor and studying optics at the Portsmouth Eye Hospital, Conan Doyle brought together his knowledge of the 17th century, with intricate research for the detail.

The book presented the story of the Puritans in a more favourable light than that generally thought at the time. Narrated by a humble adherent of the Duke of Monmouth, it was a historical romance about the Monmouth Rebellion and 'Hanging' Judge Jeffries. Moving from the uprising in Somerset and the triumphant advance towards Bristol and Bath, the book climaxed with the tragic rout at Sedgemoor (1685), as dramatically depicted in this lot, by Twidle.

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