SCHOOL OF HENRY WALLIS (British, 1830-1916). THE DEATH OF THE POET THOMAS CHATTERTON, oil on canvas - 24 in. x 36 in. Estimate $1,500-1,800
This famous scene depicts the seventeen year old poet Chatterton lying dead after drinking arsenic in an attic studio in London on August 24, 1770 after tearing into fragments his last poems. He killed himself in destitution because the literary world had yet to discover his talents. It was only after his death he was to be considered -- and still is today--one of the great romantic poets of his time.
