Grave of William Penn at Jordans in England 1847

Edward Hicks created this painting, Grave of William Penn at Jordans in England, presenting a pastoral scene filled with soft light and tranquil simplicity. The landscape, divided into distinct horizontal layers, evokes a sense of peace and order. The composition balances elements of nature and civilization, seen in the unadorned meeting house and the free-roaming animals. Hicks uses naive perspective, flattening the picture plane, which emphasizes the symbolic over the realistic. The animals and figures seem arranged as emblems within this rural tableau. Hicks, a Quaker minister, often imbued his paintings with moral and spiritual significance. The emphasis on symmetry, clear lines, and simplified forms perhaps reflects the Quaker values of simplicity and inner reflection. Through this artful arrangement of form and space, Hicks invites contemplation on faith, community, and the legacy of William Penn. It is in this intersection of form and concept that we find the enduring appeal of this work.