Hotspur and the Plotters at Bangor 1825

Robert Smirke made this drawing, Hotspur and the Plotters at Bangor, at some point in his career. The image depicts a clandestine meeting, perhaps foreshadowing insurrection. Smirke lived through a period of revolutions and counter-revolutions, and like many artists, his work could be interpreted in the light of these political upheavals. Smirke here looks back to the medieval era, a period ripe with conflict, and a source of endless fascination for the cultural elites of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Medieval history provided the settings and costumes for Romantic dramas about political and social legitimacy. A historian might examine the popular literature, theater, and political debates of Smirke's time to explore how his art reflects the values of his day. The role of art is never just aesthetic, but always intertwined with social and institutional contexts.