Thermopylae
by LEAR, Edward, Oil on canvas; 34 x 54 cm
Lear arrived at the pass of Thermopylae during his visit to Greece in the summer of 1848. As was his habit, he made a number of pencil sketches which he later redrew in ink. He used these as the basis for a painting of The Mountains of Thermopylae dated 1852 (Bristol City Art Gallery). The present smaller version was completed twenty years later.