Abraham Solomon (British, 1824-1862)
Charity
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower left  "A Solomon 1857"
Size in inches: 24 h x 18 w (with frame: 35.25 h x 29 w)
J20528
Price upon request
 
The British artist Abraham Solomon was well known for his historical genre and literary subjects, later moving to more contemporary scenes depicting domestic scenes and portraits. He exhibited at the Society of British Artists, as well as the Royal Academy from 1843 until his death in 1862 at the early age of 39. His work was enormously successful and widely reproduced through engravings.  He was widely recognized for his faithful depiction of costumes and his attention to detail in his compositions that seem to glow from within.
 
This superb painting, titled "Charity" and dating from 1857, depicts a family leaving church. The mother, flanked by her son and daughter, reaches out to a beggar who is hooded so we cannot see his face. The attention to detail is superb and the painting is housed in an ornate English gilt frame.