What does Charles William Mitchell's painting Hypatia show?

Painted in 1885 by British artist Charles William Mitchell, Hypatia is an oil painting depicting the final moments of the ancient philosopher Hypatia before her murder in fifth-century Alexandria. The artwork blends history painting with nude art and was inspired by Charles Kingsley's 1853 novel of the same name. Today, the painting is housed in the collection of the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.

What we know

• Hypatia is an 1885 oil painting created by the British artist Charles William Mitchell. [2]
• The painting was inspired by the 1853 novel Hypatia written by Charles Kingsley. [2, 4]
• Set in fifth-century Alexandria, the artwork depicts the philosopher Hypatia moments before her murder. [2, 3]
• The painting is currently held in the collection of the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, where it was acquired in 1940. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWho was the philosopher Hypatia in real history?
• what caused itWhat happens in Charles Kingsley's 1853 novel Hypatia?
• whereWhere can you see the painting today?
• compared withWhich other 1885 painting sparked debates about nude art alongside this one?
• whoWho was the artist Charles William Mitchell?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a 5th-century philosopher inspire 19th-century debates on nude art?Mitchell's historical painting of Hypatia and Waterhouse's painting of Saint Eulalia debuted in the same year and together provoked a major public controversy regarding the prevalence of nude art in exhibitions.

Sources

• [1]Hypatia (Wikidata Q116175590) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Hypatia (painting) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Hypatia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Hypatia (novel) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Charles William Mitchell · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. How did Babylonian mathematics influence time and geometry?
2. /What does Charles William Mitchell's painting Hypatia show?