The Temptation of Andrew Marvell

Charles Landseer's Temptation of Andrew Marvell, painted around 1841, illustrates an episode from the life of the seventeenth-century English poet and politician. Marvell, who served as John Milton's assistant and later as a member of Parliament, was famous for his incorruptible integrity. Landseer, the elder brother of the more famous Sir Edwin Landseer, specialized in historical subjects and Spanish scenes, having spent time studying in Portugal and Spain.

Landseer's oil-on-canvas technique handles the historical narrative with careful attention to period costume and setting. The composition creates dramatic tension through the interaction of figures, rendered with the solid academic draughtsmanship of his Royal Academy training.