The great British art quiz: set by the Holburne Museum, Bath

1. 

   Giovanni Paolo Panini was born in 1691 in which Italian city?

   1. Rome

   2. Piacenza

   3. Naples

   4. Mantua

2. 

   What is the title of this work?

   1. Men in Black

   2. Unexpected Guests

   3. The Kitchen

   4. Visit to a Farmhouse

3. 

   The composition of this sculpture by Giuseppe Plura, depicting Diana and Endymion, draws inspiration from which recurrent Christian iconographic motif?

   1. The Epiphany

   2. Pentecost

   3. The Pietà

   4. The Annunciation

4. 

   Who painted this work?

   1. Thomas Gainsborough

   2. John Constable

   3. Joshua Reynolds

   4. JMW Turner

5. 

   When did the Holburne Museum move to its current home, the former Sydney Hotel?

   1. 1893

   2. 1916

   3. 2011

   4. 1867

6. 

   This work was painted by a member of a dynasty of artists that established themselves in Bath in the late 18th to mid-19th centuries. What was their surname?

   1. Tate

   2. Pulteney

   3. Picasso

   4. Barker

7. 

   Who was the famous female writer who lived across the street from Sydney Gardens in the early 19th century?

   1. Jane Austen

   2. Elizabeth Gaskell

   3. Marina Warner

   4. Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot)

8. 

   This painting is the most sold postcard in the museum shop. Who is the lady depicted in it?

   1. Louisa Skrine, Lady Clarges

   2. Henrietta Laura Pulteney

   3. Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales

   4. Priscilla Jones

Solutions

1:B - Image: Ruins of a Temple with a Sibyl c1719, by Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765), oil on canvas., 2:D - This painting depicts a humble household receiving a visit by local landowners, who are easily distinguished from the peasants by their expensive, dark clothes. They demonstrate the virtue of charity by handing out coins and a gift that is probably a wrapped sugar cone. The reason for their visit may be the birth of the baby, who is seen with his mother in the foreground. Image: Visit to a Farmhouse, c1620-30, Pieter Brueghel the younger (1564/1565-1637/1638)., 3:C - Although the subject of this work derives from classical mythology, the figures are clearly inspired by the depiction of the lifeless body of Christ in the lap of Mary after the Crucifixion. Plura kept this work in his studio in Bath as a "showpiece" that attested to his talent as an artist. Image: Diana and Endymion, 1752, Giuseppe Plura (d1756)., 4:A - Thomas Gainsborough started The Byam Family in the early 1760s, shortly after the wedding of George Byam and Louisa Bathurst, seen here strolling in a poetic landscape. In 1766, the couple’s daughter, Selina, was added, and Louisa’s dress was repainted from pink to a fashionable blue. Fascinatingly, the original colour of the gown can still be seen in the child’s rosy red cheeks. Image: The Byam Family, c1762–1766, Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788)., 5:B - The Holburne trustees bought the former Sydney Hotel in 1912. Work on the building began in 1914 under the architect and historian Reginald Blomfield. The museum opened its doors in its new home in 1916. An extension to the original building was completed in 2011. Image: The Holburne of Mesntrie Museum, Bath, 18 January 1940, 1940, Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886–1974), the Holburne Museum, © trustees of the Corsham estate, 6:D - The Barker family settled in Bath in 1783. In 1803, Thomas Barker became engaged to Priscilla Jones, whose portrait, painted by her husband, is also on display at the Holburne. Four of the couple’s eight children became successful artists in their own right. The Barkers of Bath dominated the city’s artistic life throughout the 19th century. Image: Self Portrait c1794, Thomas Barker (1769–1847), 7:A - Between 1801 and 1805, Jane Austen lived opposite the Sydney Hotel (now the Holburne Museum) with her parents and sister, at 4 Sydney Place. She recorded: “There is a public breakfast in Sydney Gardens every morning, so we shall not be wholly starved.” Image: The Holburne Museum, Bath’, 2001, Peter Brown (b 1967), The Holburne Museum, © the artist, 8:B - Henrietta Laura Pulteney (1766-1808) inherited the vast Pulteney estates in 1782. With her father, she created the elegant new town at Bathwick, including Great Pulteney Street and Sydney Gardens, where the Holburne Museum now stands.   Image: Henrietta Laura Pulteney,  c1777, Angelica Kauffmann (1741–1807)

Scores

1. 6 and above.

   You've got the Sense and Sensibility to crush this quiz.

2. 0 and above.

   Time for an early bath.

3. 3 and above.

   A reasonable effort – room for improvement.