The Plot.

HART, SOLOMON ALEXANDER.

London, 1855

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated by the artist lower left. Contemporary frame (some light wear).

Plymouth born Solomon Alexander Hart (1806-81) was a British painter and engraver. He was the first Jewish member of the Royal Academy in London - later becoming the R.A. historian - and the most important Jewish artist working in England in the 19th century. He remained an observant Jew all his life. ‘The Plot’ is a beautiful interpretation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, featuring the scene when Iago informs Othello of his wife’s infidelity (Act III, Scene 3). In the background are Desdemona, Cassio and Emilia. A near-identical watercolor by Hart hangs in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (no. 3038-1876). Provenance: Sheppard’s Irish Auction House, Laois, Ireland, October 2015, lot 876.