Two restored 18th-century murals by English master William Hogarth, painted on the walls of the UK’s oldest hospital, have opened to the public 300 years after their creation.
Founded in 1123, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital added a north wing in the 1730s, initially tapping a well-known Venetian to paint murals overlooking a large classical staircase. But Hogarth — incensed that the commission had gone to an Italian rather than a local artist — offered to paint them for free, claiming “ownership” over a hospital he lived near and knew well, a project executive told The Guardian.
There, Hogarth created his largest works, The Good Samaritan and The Pool of Bethesda, two Biblical scenes that he hoped would inspire potential benefactors.