Ernest Normand (British, 1857-1923) King John granting Magna Carta Oil over pencil on canvas 63 x 39 inches (160.0 x 99.1 cm) Signed lower left: Ernest Normand Inscribed at lower edge: King John granting Magna Carta PROVENANCE: Sotheby's, London, June 9, 1999, lot 115; Perfect Touch Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above; Acquired by the present owner from the above. This large painting by Ernest Normand depicting King John granting Magna Carta is based on a mural with the same title commissioned for the Royal Exchange in London (1900). Twenty-four scenes from London's history were painted on the first-floor walls by artists including Normand, Sir Frederick Leighton, Sir Frank Brangwyn and Stanhope Forbes. Today, the Royal Exchange building houses the British department store, Fortnum & Mason, as well as other luxury shops, and offices. In the work, some of the leading figures of the day surround King John including, to his right, the Earl of Pembroke, and in the foreground, Robert Fitzwalter and Archbishop Stephen Langton. At bottom right, a clerk prepares the press with which the charter is about to be sealed. A version of the painting is also illustrated in The Rise of the Democracy by Joseph Clayton (Good Press, London, 1911). An oil sketch by the artist's wife, Henrietta Rae, is also included in the present auction. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved