Relics of the Brave
Datec. 1883
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsCanvas: 59 1/4 × 83 inches (150.5 × 210.8 cm)
Framed: 60 1/2 × 83 3/4 × 2 1/4 inches (153.7 × 212.7 × 5.7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number1883.3
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextA native of London, Arthur Hacker attended classes at the British Royal Academy before sailing to Paris to continue his studies. Although his early work focused on genre and historical scenes, he eventually became a popular society portrait painter, occasionally painting genre subjects and nocturnal views.
A fairly early work by Hacker, Relics of the Brave illustrates a tragic episode from the Crimean war (1854-56), in which the British and their French and Turkish allies battled the Russians. At home in England, a young woman receives news that her husband has been killed in action. She crouches forlornly over a table, head in hand, as her infant child lies in a bassinette at her feet. An elderly gentleman (probably the woman’s father or father-in-law) and young girl (perhaps the woman’s sister or older child) look on mournfully. The “relics” referenced in the painting’s title refer to the medals awarded the dead soldier, displayed on the chair. The family’s painful loss is compounded by their obvious poverty, reflected in their tattered clothing and humble surroundings. Despite its lofty title, the painting does little to glorify this soldier’s sacrifice, emphasizing instead the destitute circumstances of those he left behind.
