Lady Godiva

Image credit: St Mary's Guildhall

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (CC BY-NC).

This image can be reproduced in any way apart from any commercial uses.

Wherever you reproduce the image or an altered version of it, you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s), the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other stated rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

This is one of the earliest known paintings of Lady Godiva, perhaps Coventry's most famous resident. It was commissioned to replace a 1586 version by Van Noort, which was in poor condition after more than 100 years of (sometimes outdoor) display. Godiva is depicted riding through a stylised Coventry street, with no recognisable buildings suggesting that the original artist had never been to the city, and had probably based the architecture on a town local to him. 'Peeping Tom' appears in an upper window of the building to the right of Lady Godiva, but is difficult to see beneath aged varnish. St Mary's Guildhall was the traditional starting point for the annual Godiva processions, one of the highlights of the city's festival calendar.

St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry

Coventry

Title

Lady Godiva

Date

1681

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 88 x W 115 cm

Accession number

VA.1950.0015

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry

Bayley Lane, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 5RN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue