Hands of King Charles Framed Printed canvas

Hands of King Charles Framed Printed canvas by Young & Battaglia

King Charles I in a minimalist new light. You might not instantly recognise this 17th century Stuart king - and you'd be forgiven, seeing as the only thing visible are his hands. This playful parody of the famous monarch cloaks him in total darkness, so that all that's left are a pair of hands holding a letter.

This quirky wall art is based on a portrait by Gerrit van Honthorst, a Dutch master. It now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery and is considered an unusually informal and intimate painting of the king. Artists Young and Battaglia have gone a step further in this informality - by removing everything from the image except those hands. While this is certainly a tongue in cheek art canvas, it's still rather thought provoking. We're invited to use our imaginations and conjure up our own ideas. What does the rest of the picture look like? What sort of an expression is the person wearing? Is it relevant that King Charles I ultimately lost his head as punishment for treason? By using our mind's eye we can have a different face in the frame each time we look at it - so this piece of wall art will never lose your interest.

Hands of King Charles is part of a series of pastiche pieces where classical paintings are reinvented - removing or obscuring the person in each portrait. Some disappear into darkness, leaving just their hands behind as in this example, as well as Hands in Prayer, Hand Holding Gloves and Hands Holding Flower. Others are made completely invisible, such as Girl without a Pearl Earring and Military Costume without Old Man. Others have their faces hidden - like our version of the Mona Lisa, or the Young Woman with a Facial.

If you're looking for a statement piece of wall art this is a wonderful choice. It's both classical and contemporary, beautiful yet fun. It's a framed canvas that comes in four sizes to suit any space or room. It will work beautifully as a feature piece or as part of a gallery wall.

Dimensions

• Mini size: (H) 50.8 cm x (W) 40.6 cm x (D) 3.2 cm / 20.00” x 15.98” x 1.25”
• Small size: (H) 81.3 cm x (W) 66.0 cm x (D) 3.2 cm / 32.00” x 25.90” x 1.25”
• Medium size: (H) 127.0 cm x (W) 101.6 cm x (D) 3.2 cm / 50.00” x 40.00” x 1.25”
• Large size: (H) 172.7 cm x (W) 137.2 cm x (D) 3.2 cm / 67.99” x 54.02” x 1.25”

Frame: Classic wooden Black box frame(3.2cm depth)

Material:280g Matte polyester canvas, natural Birch wood box frame

Lead Time: 1-2 weeks.