How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

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

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 was Stanley Spencer's last painting. Miss Ashwanden was a neighbour of the artist in Cookham in Berkshire. They both knew she was dying, aged just 17. Spencer himself died the next year.

Spencer was a mystic who thought his village was like the Garden of Eden. The dug-up road and the drainage pipes in the background are an integral part of Spencer’s vision of his village as Eden. He believed that work, industry and activity provided a necessary service to the community. He was therefore happy to include them in his vision of paradise.

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Coventry

Title

Miss Ashwanden in Cookham

Date

1958

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 75.9 x W 50.5 cm

Accession number

VA.1967.0039

Acquisition method

purchased, 1967

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

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Jordan Well, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 5QP 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