How to Read Paintings: The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche

A woman is blindfolded and lowered to her knees. Her executioner stands patiently nearby, his fingers quietly reaching for a great metal axe. But with the blindfold, she is unable to find the block. She stretches out her hands and becomes unsteady on her knees, tilting to one side. She is just a teenager. According to historical accounts, she cries out: “What shall I do? Where is it?” Her hands waver in the damp air of the Tower of London. Noticing her uncertainty, the deputy lieutenant of the Tower, Sir Thomas Brydges, steps forward and helps her locate the block where she should lay her neck. <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*r4gGSDAWJpXxEcULYmgdrA.jpeg" style="height:475px; width:700px" /> Detail of ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’ (1833) by Paul Delaroche. Oil on canvas. 246 × 297 cm. National Gallery, London, UK. Image source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3APAUL_DELAROCHE_-_Ejecuci%C3%B3n_de_Lady_Jane_Grey_(National_Gallery_de_Londres%2C_1834).jpg" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a> Beneath the block, a carpet of straw has been laid out to soak up the copious amounts of blood that will shortly be spilt. The next few moments will be horrendous but swift. With her head on the block, she spoke the last words of Jesus as recounted by Luke: “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” <a href="https://christopherpjones.medium.com/how-to-read-paintings-the-execution-of-lady-jane-grey-by-paul-delaroche-b6151b845714">Visit Now</a>