Painted by the artist James Barry for and still in the Royal Society of Arts. The series of 6 paintings is titled 'The Progress of Human Culture' and includes: 'Orpheus', 'A Grecian Harvest-Home', 'Crowning the Victors at Olympia', 'Commerce or the Triumph of the Thames', 'The Distribution of Premiums in the Society of Arts' and 'Elysium or the State of Final Retribution'.
The synopsis of 'James Barry's Murals at the Royal Society of Arts: Envisioning a New Public Art' - Hardcover William L. Pressly at includes: "Between 1777 and 1784, the Irish artist James Barry (1741-1806) executed six murals for the Great Room of the [Royal] Society of Arts in London. Although his works form the most impressive series of history paintings in Great Britain, they remain one of the British art world s best kept secrets, having attracted little attention from critics or the general public."
We understand that these painting are on canvas, not on the walls, and therefore are not actually murals.
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Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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