SOLOMON ALEXANDER HART (1806-1881) Elizabeth of Hungary giving alms

signed ‘S.A. Hart’ (lower left), illegibly dated oil on canvas 115 x 133 cm Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), the princess who became a model of Christian charity, gives alms to the poor in the central episode of her legend. Hart approaches the subject with a history painter’s discipline. The composition is carefully built, the drapery, faces and gestures are finely worked, and the meeting between the saint and those in need carries real emotional force. Solomon Alexander Hart was a British painter and engraver, born in Plymouth, England. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1823 and became, in 1840, the first Jewish artist elected as a full member of the Royal Academy. Renowned for his historical, religious and genre paintings, Hart frequently depicted subjects from Jewish history and religious traditions, alongside scenes inspired by English literature and history. He served as Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy from 1854 to 1863 and subsequently as its Librarian until his death in London in 1881.