"Red Cap: The Embodiment of Freedom"

(1802 Little Easton/Essex – 1864 Sunnyside near Birkenhead) after "The Red Cap" (Die rote Mütze). The original title carefully depicts the famous 1847 painting from the Tate Gallery in London. Lance, who in his time was considered a worthy successor to the great Dutch and Flemish still life painters of the 17th–18th centuries, is also inspired by the effectively lit motif, bathed in the light of an arched opening. The monkey, whose cap gives the painting its name, reflects human images and weaknesses. Such depictions of "monkey comedy" were very popular in the 19th century. Lance endows the monkey with the Red Cap of Liberty, as if it is already an allusion to 1848—the year of revolutions in Europe. Oil, canvas; 43 cm x 51 cm, in a frame. After George Lance (1802–1864). Oil, canvas.