The Court Room Roundels
This roundel, or circular painting, features an exterior view of the Foundling Hospital. Welsh artist Richard Wilson depicted the Hospital as seen from its surrounding fields, now known as Coram’s Fields. This painting is one of eight roundels made for the Hospital, each representing a significant residential charity active during the 18th century.
Wilson’s finished work, pastoral in style, presents the institution in a serene, idealised light. When Wilson produced this painting in 1946, however, the Hospital was still under construction, as the East Wing and the Chapel remained unfinished. Wilson chose to illustrate an imagined, completed Hospital where Foundling children were free to peacefully roam the grounds.
Wilson completed and donated two circular oil paintings to the institution: The Foundling Hospital and St. George’s Hospital. These were displayed alongside six other roundels in the Court Room, where the Governors held formal meetings. The Court Room was also one of the first public spaces for the display of British art. For painters and sculptors, exhibiting inside this space was a promising way to attract wealthy patrons in addition to making charitable contributions. Like many other artists, Wilson hoped that these paintings would serve to demonstrate and advertise his talent to visitors, thus widening his social sphere and expanding his career.
About the artist
Richard Wilson is one of the greatest landscape and estate painters of the 18th century. Known as ‘the Father of British Landscape Painting,’ Wilson originally trained as a portrait painter. He eventually became known for his classical countryside scenes of England and Wales, influenced by idealised Italian frameworks and classical narratives. In 1768, he became a founding member of the Royal Academy.
