Jews at the Wailing Wall

Jews at the Wailing Wall, painted in 1841 during Wilkie's final journey to the Holy Land, documents a scene of religious devotion at Jerusalem's Western Wall. Wilkie died on the return voyage from this trip, and his Middle Eastern subjects became his final artistic testament. As Principal Painter in Ordinary, Wilkie occupied the summit of the British art establishment, and his late royal portraits and Middle Eastern subjects reflect his ambition to expand beyond the Scottish genre subjects that

The devotional figures and the ancient wall are rendered with Wilkie's observational precision. The warm palette and atmospheric handling show the influence of his encounter with Middle Eastern light.