Hogarth's painting at Barts

Barts was founded in 1123, and by the early 1700s it had occupied the same site for almost six centuries. The layout of the buildings, arranged around courtyards, still dated from medieval times, and many of the structures were in disrepair. The governors decided to build a new hospital on the existing site, and by 1734 the construction of the first new building, the North Wing, was complete.

Pool of Bethesdav Hogarth painting - North Wing, Barts

The governors, wishing to have a spectacular entrance to the North Wing, considered inviting the Venetian painter, Jacopo Amigoni, to decorate the staircase walls. However, William Hogarth (1697-1764) learned of the governors' intention and offered his own services free of charge.

Well-known at the time for his paintings and engravings, usually with a moral message, Hogarth had been born in Bartholomew Close next to the Hospital and his mother and sister were still living within the Hospital precinct in the 1720s. The two vast paintings which now adorn the walls were completed by Hogarth between 1734 and 1737. He had wanted to make a generous gesture, but also hoped to show that an English artist could produce works in the grand historical style.

Illustrating the Biblical stories of the Good Samaritan and Christ healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, the two paintings reflect the spirit of the Hospital in caring for the sick and injured. The people seen at the Pool of Bethesda are said to be modelled on real patients. Christ at the Pool of Bethesda' was painted first, in a studio in Covent Garden. It was finally hung in place on the staircase in April 1736.

The Good Samaritan Hogarth's painting - North Wing, Barts

'The Good Samaritan' was then painted in situ on the staircase to ensure that it would tone in with 'The Pool'. Scaffolding was used so that the artists could reach the canvas. Although Hogarth painted all the figures, it is believed that his friend George Lambert, the scenery painter at Covent Garden, painted the landscape in 'The Good Samaritan' or possibly in both pictures and that a Mr Richards painted the decorative borders and scrollwork, as well as the decoration on the other two walls and ceiling.

The scaffolding was finally taken down on 15 July 1737, when the paintings were complete. The staircase took the art world by surprise, and the paintings, with their "figures seven feet high" are still as astonishing today as they were then.

These spectacular paintings are visible from the museum of St Bartholomew's Hospital. They can also be seen in more detail on the guided tours, conducted every Friday at 2pm.