These 80 sheets of drawings are all figure studies and details for Poynter's fresco 'The Trial and Martyrdom of St. Stephen' (1873), at St. Stephen's, Dulwich. The drawings were carried out between 1871-1873 and many of them are dated.

A typescript sheet at the front of the volume states: 'This volume containing eighty studies by Sir Edward J. Poynter Bart., G.C.V.O., P.R.A., for his fresco in St. Stephen's Church, South Dulwich, is presented to the Royal Academy of Arts in London by the artist's sister E. Frances Poynter, October 1920.

These studies do not include the whole of those for the preliminary cartoon for this work by the painter, a certain number of finished sketches, particularly for figures in the scene of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen in the predella of the fresco, having been mounted, framed and disposed of in Sir Edward's lifetime; but they include all those remaining unmounted in his portfolios at the time of his death. They are arranged so as to illustrate the minute and elaborate preparatory study of the details, the anatomy, nude forms and drapery, upon which he was in the habit of building up his large decorative works.

The drawings are placed in the volume in the order that the figures to which they refer occur in the fresco, beginning on the left of the spectator, first in the upper picture and then in the predella'.

The idea for the fresco seems to have come from Charles Barry jnr., the architect of the church, and its vicar the Revd. John Clark (see correspondence in London Metropolitan Archive, ref. P73/STE/47/1-20). Barry discussed the idea of a fresco with Poynter who offered to paint it for £300. He began preparatory work in 1871 but did not start painting the fresco itself until Autumn 1872 when he seems to have painted the border and the upper section. Cold weather prevented progress during much of the winter but Poynter continued work in Spring 1873. The fresco was certainly finished by 4th September 1873 when Poynter received a cheque from the donor, a Mr Palmer.

Poynter's method was to make small preparatory drawings (including anatomical and nude studies) for each figure, as well as compositional studies, which he then enlarged into full-scale cartoons from which he painted the fresco. Poynter based the composition of the upper panel on Ingres' 'Martyrdom of St. Symphorien' of 1854 and the preparatory studies for this work also bear similarities to Poynter's preparatory methods for his fresco.

Related Works:

A trial fresco of part of the scene is in the Tate collection and the British Museum owns five chalk studies for figures in the lower section of the fresco. The latter are very similar to the drawings in the RA album and two are dated June and August 1872 respectively. Another study for a figure in the lower section is at the Victoria and Albert Museum. A pen and ink cartoon for the martyrdom scene is owned by St. Stephen's Church, Dulwich. A similar, but much larger, cartoon of the same scene, drawn in pencil, was lot 124 at Christie's on 10th March 1995.

All objects in this group