Artist: Edward Hicks Place/date of birth: Attleborough (now Langhorne), Pennsylvania 1780 Place/date of death: Newtown, Pennsylvania 1849 Title of work: The Peacable Kingdom Date of completion: ca. 1846 Materials: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 25 x 28 1/2 inches Collection: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Accession number: 1993.35.14 Introduction In the upper left corner of this painting the artist, Edward Hicks, has included a scene from American history, William Penn's 1682 treaty with the Delaware Indians in the newly-established city of Philadelphia. William Penn, an English Quaker, founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for his community who were persecuted in England for their religious beliefs. In keeping with his Quaker faith, Penn felt it important to maintain peaceful relations with the American Indian population by treating them with respect. Penn took it upon himself to negotiate with the Delaware Indians to purchase their land, in addition to the land grant that he had been awarded from the King of England. Penn (the figure with outstretched arms) stands under the Treaty Elm, showing the Delaware Indians a chest of jewels and a bolt of fabric (suggesting the value and importance of textiles during the colonial era) while other settlers bring more chests from a boat at the shoreline. Unfortunately, as the population of Pennsylvania increased over the next century, relations with American Indians in the Pennsylvania area were no friendlier than elsewhere in the colonies; however, the Quakers continued to have a respectful relationship with the American Indians. Discussion William Penn's peaceful treaty with the Delaware Indians became a well-known story and was used as an example of how different cultures could interact in a perfect world. This painting, created more than 100 years after Penn's treaty was signed, uses Penn and the Delaware Indians as only one element of its vision of a peaceable kingdom. The animal world dominates the foreground and serves to complete the biblical reference made by the work's title. Looking Closely BIBLICAL REFERENCES The artist's message was more religious than political. Hicks painted his interpretation of a biblical passage (Isaiah Chapter I I, verses 6-8) which describes Isaiah's vision of the Messianic age. Hicks and his fellow Quakers interpreted this passage more broadly. They saw the peaceable kingdom described in Isaiah as a metaphor for the conflicting forces within human souls brought into harmony through adherence to the teachings of the Bible. By examining these particular passages from the standard version of the Bible used in Hick's time, we can understand the many biblical references Hicks included in his paintings: (Isaiah 11:6) (Isaiah 11:7) (Isaiah 11:8) QUAKER REFERENCES Hicks was a prominent member of the Quaker establishment, renowned for his ability to give compelling, spontaneous sermons in worship meetings. In Quaker worship there are no formal ministers, only elders (both male and female), and anyone can speak during the meeting. Participants sit in silence, meditating on their "inner light" until "moved" to speak. The following is a poetic interpretation of the passages from Isaiah, transcribed from one of Hicks' sermons. Most of the things described in this passage appear in the de Young Museum's The Peaceable Kingdom: (Isaiah 11:6) (Isaiah 1 1:7) (Isaiah 1 1:8) The last four lines of Hicks' version were inspired not by the Bible, but by the historical event of Penn's treaty. Hicks and other Quakers saw Penn's treaty as a real-life example of the harmony and balance promised in Isaiah. In this case it was Europeans bringing their ways to a new land and living peacefully alongside America's indigenous peoples. On a political level, it is easy to see the parallels between beasts living harmoniously together in nature and American Indians and colonists finding a way to share America's bountiful land in peace. Pacifism is one of the strongest moral tenets of Quakerism, and this painting is still referred to by American Quakers as emblematic of Penn's religious philosophy. Hicks painted over sixty versions of the peaceable kingdom which he gave away to members of his Quaker community; he also made several works showing only Penn's Treaty with the Delaware Indians. Style The artist has created an imaginary setting for the characters in this drama and has made it obvious that this painting was not intended to be seen as a realistic representation. To convey his message of what a "peaceable kingdom" might look like, Hicks has broken the biblical passage and historical event down into their most basic elements. Hicks copied the scene of Penn's Treaty with the Indians from a painting by the American artist Benjamin West that commemorates the same event. Artist Edward Hicks worked as a sign and carriage painter in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His talent as a painter was also well-known, but the Quaker religion encouraged him to shun non-religious activities such as the production of fine arts. Hicks felt pulled by his faith to use his artistic skills for functional rather than decorative art, so he concentrated on scenes with a spiritual message. Hicks had several apprentices, one of whom was the landscape painter Martin Johnson Heade. Links to American History Curriculum
SLIDE 2
THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw with the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
The wolf shall with the lambkin dwell in peace,
His grim carnivorous thirst for blood shall cease,
The beauteous leopard with his restless eye
Shall by the kid in perfect stillness lie;
The calf, the fatling and the young lion wild,
Shall be led by one sweet little child
The cow and bear shall quietly partake,
Of the rich food the ear and cornstalk make;
While each their peaceful young with joy survey,
As side by side on the green grass they lay;
While the old lion thwarting nature's law,
Shall eat beside the ox the barley straw.
The sucking child shall innocently play
On the dark hole where poisonous reptiles lay;
The crested worm with all its venom then,
The weaned child shall fasten in his den.
The illustrious Penn this heavenly kingdom felt,
When with Columbia's native sons he dealt;
Without an oath a lasting Treaty made,
In Christian Faith beneath the elm tree's shade.
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