Object ID	N0038.1961
Title	Peaceable Kingdom
Artist	Hicks, Edward
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1830
Late Date	1835
Exhibit label line3	Edward Hicks was born into an Anglican family with Tory leanings. After his mother's death and father's forced seclusion during the Revolution, he was taken in and raised by a Quaker family. In his teens, Hicks apprenticed to a coachmaker and learned the craft of decorative painting. He was accepted into the Society of Friends and became highly regarded as a minister. As Quaker ministers were not compensated for their work, Hicks continued to paint to earn income, and about 1820 he developed his peaceable kingdom formula which he painted dozens of times. The inspiration for this picture came from a Bible engraving by Richard Westall to illustrate Isaiah 11:6-9. Hicks incorporated a vignette of William Penn's treaty with the Indians, derived from a painting by Benjamin West, to further symbolize the Quaker values of peace and harmony.
Description	Scene of Peaceable Kingdom without printed border, four children and 14 or 15 animals grouped in lower right quadrant. Children are robed in white, animals include a black bear (center bottom), lamb (center bottom), 2 lions (one in lower right, one in center right), tiger (center right) and others. Bull or steer with large curved horns dominates center of painting, along with child with right arm raised to a bird in flight. Vignette of Penn's Treaty with the Indians is in background in center left. Waterway and hills in distant background at center left. Background in upper right is blocked by colored foliage. No marks.
Classification	Folk Art--Painting/Drawing--Scene--Genre
Dimensions	H-30 W-35 inches
Material	Oil on canvas
Place of Origin	Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005