| The Murder of the Princes in the Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | James Northcote |
| Year | 1786 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 137 cm× 178 cm(54 in× 70 in) |
| Location | Petworth House, Sussex |
The Murder of the Princes in the Tower is a 1786 history painting by the British artist James Northcote. [1] It depicts a scene from the late fifteenth century England, referencing William Shakespeare's Richard III . The children of the former monarch Edward IV are about to be smothered to death in the Tower of London on the orders of his brother Richard III. [2]
Contents
Northcote displayed the work at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1786 at Somerset House, after which it was bought by the publisher John Boydell. It was exhibited at his Shakespeare Gallery in Pall Mall. It was subsequently acquired by the art collector Earl of Egremont for his country estate at Petworth House in Sussex. It remains in the collection at Petworth, now controlled by the National Trust. [3]
