The Ransom

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Artist: John Everett Millais (English, 1829–1896)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 134 × 115.9 cm (52 3/4 × 45 5/8 in.)
Culture: British
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

An armored knight, still in his riding boots and accompanied by his page in mud-splattered stockings, seems to have hastily gotten off his horse to meet for this ransom exchange. The knight’s daughters embrace him while he tries to hand over precious jewels, but their arms are still being held by the kidnapper, whose plainer clothing contrasts with their finery.

The page in a blue and white striped ensemble is watching closely and reaches into his purse, sensing that the kidnappers will demand more ransom. These characters—not based on any historical or literary source, but invented by the artist—dramatize a narrative through their expressive gestures and glances. The outcome still seems uncertain and even the dog looks expectantly at the central figures for the resolution of the story.

British artist John Everett Millais set this imaginary drama in the 1500s and looked to his family, friends, and surroundings to stage the painting. His wife Effie researched and made the period costumes; his friend Mr. Miller posed for the head of the knight; a railway guard named "Strong" was the model for the knight's body; and the two girls were painted from a single model, Helen Petrie. The tapestry in the background was based on a Flemish tapestry in the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum) not far from the artist’s home.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.