The Many Lives of the Painted Hall
Originally intended as a grand dining room for the naval pensioners, the Painted Hall soon became a ceremonial space open to paying visitors and reserved for special functions. Perhaps the most significant function was the lying-in-state of Lord Nelson in January 1806 drawing large crowds to view the hero’s body. The exact spot where the coffin lay is marked by a plaque on the floor.
“Perhaps the most significant function was the lying-in-state of Lord Nelson”
For a hundred years from 1824 the Hall was given over to the first National Gallery of Naval Art. Thornhill’s painted interior assumed secondary importance to more than 300 easel paintings by artists such as J.M.W. Turner and Sir Joshua Reynolds. The last Greenwich Pensioners left the site in 1869 when it became home to the Royal Naval College, an officers’ training academy. From 1937 to 1997 the Painted Hall functioned as a dining space for trainee officers of the Royal Navy.
What’s in the Painting?
The Painted Hall was a huge undertaking. Sir James Thornhill drew on a cast of around 200 figures to tell the story of Britain’s political change, scientific and cultural achievements, naval endeavours, and commercial enterprise against a series of magnificent backdrops.
Almost three centuries since it was first unveiled, the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich was re-opened to the public in 2019, having been restored to its former glory. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Hall during its restoration when we were able to climb the scaffolding and view the ceiling up close! It really did remind me of the Sistine Chapel, seeing the immense details in the paintings was incredible.
“Sir James Thornhill drew on a cast of around 200 figures to tell the story of Britain’s political change, scientific and cultural achievements”
Completed in 1705, the 4,000-square-metre Painted Hall took 19 years to complete and as a result Sir James Thornhill became the first British artist to be knighted.
The remarkable vividness of the Baroque paintings, which include portraits of Kings William III and George I, and Queens Mary II and Anne among a cast of mythological, allegorical, historical and contemporary figures, have been brought back to life after this two-year conservation project.
“What has always fascinated me is how art reflects the political and religious landscape of history, the detailed images celebrate the naval power of 18th-century England and evoke the politics of the time”
What has always fascinated me is how art reflects the political and religious landscape of history, the detailed images celebrate the naval power of 18th-century England and evoke the politics of the time, Thornhill’s work shows the country’s newly installed Protestant monarchy against the perceived autocracy of predominantly Catholic Europe. If you visit, look out for William III, who receives an olive branch from a figure symbolising peace, and passes the ‘cap of liberty’ to a kneeling Europe. Meanwhile, the king tramples on a crouching figure representing tyranny – a thinly veiled depiction of Louis XIV of France.
For more information and to book, visit www.ornc.org.
