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Peaceable Kingdom, by Edward Hicks

Edward Hicks is most famous for The Peaceable Kingdom, which he painted over sixty times. Here he illustrates verses 6-9 of the 11th Book of Isaiah in the Bible, "The wolf shall also lie down with the lamb. . . and a little child shall lead them," by painting the various animals mentioned. Although he adapted his work from British painter Richard Westall, Hicks made the image his own by incorporating American events - most notably William Penn's Treaty with the Indians, as painted by Benjamin West - and scenery, such as the Natural Bridge near Lexington, Virginia and the Delaware River, in the background of the painting.

Hicks explained the psychological meaning of his painting by using contemporary medical ideas, which regarded the human body as divided into four humors. The "gloomy and ravenous" wolf represented melancholy, the "lustful and volatile" leopard was sanguine, and the "worldly-wise and indifferent bear" phlegmatic, while the "proud and raging" lion was choleric. These predators were neutralized, respectively, by the lamb, kid, cow, and ox. These elements Hicks held together with child representing the "lamb of God" - Jesus - and an angel.

Penn's Treaty, by Edward Hicks, ca. 1830-1840.

Hicks used The Peaceable Kingdom to spread his Quaker vision of an idealized world at peace. Some of his painted frame borders added to the biblical verses: for instance, "When the great Penn his famous treaty made/With Indian chiefs beneath the Elm tree's shade." Hicks himself, however, became involved in the great dispute within the Quakers in the 1820s. He sided with the Hicksites, led by his cousin Elias Hicks, who favored a return to the more intense spirituality and reliance on the "Inner Light" of the original Quakers as opposed to the "Orthodox" members who stressed reading the Bible and social conformity.

The Grave of William Penn, by Edward Hicks, c. 1847.

The background of several "Peaceable Kingdoms" shows the Hicksite Quakers accompanied by William Penn, George Fox (founder of the Quakers), and George Washington (a hero of Hicks' despite his military prowess) ascending into Heaven where Christ's apostles greet them.

Washington at the Delaware, by Edward Hicks.

In addition to his Peaceable Kingdoms, Hicks painted The Grave of William Penn and various farm scenes in his primitive style. Many of his paintings were primitivist adaptations of masterpieces such as West's Penn's Treaty with the Indians or John Trumbull's The Declaration of Independence. Unable to support himself through the sale of his paintings, Hicks earned much of his income by painting coaches and signs. Many of the latter, including Washington at the Delaware, are found in the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Newtown, Pennsylvania, town library still has the sign of Benjamin Franklin reading that once hung over its door.

Forgotten for nearly a hundred years, Hicks' paintings were rediscovered during the folk art revival of the 1930s. Today, many of his works may be found at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection in colonial Williamsburg. Since then, other artists have used Hick's paintings for models, in much the same way that he used others' paintings. African-American artist Horace Pippin was so deeply moved by The Peaceable Kingdom, that he executed three versions of his own, entitled The Holy Mountain, where a black shepherd and child replace the white child and angel found in Hicks' paintings.

To learn more about the life of Edward Hicks and his other paintings click here.

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