The Death of General Wolfe, 2016

British General Wolfe is known for having led British troops to defeat the French forces on the Plains of Abraham below Québec City in 1759. During the battle the General was shot and killed. A famous painting by American painter Benjamin West depicts the moment of death as a pieta where Wolfe is the Christ figure. Only a single drop of blood is shown as he lies back in the arms of a subaltern. In actual fact, Wolfe was hit by three .50 calibre musket rounds, one each in the arm, shoulder and chest. He must have died a bloody and excruciatingly painful death. This cast piece reasserts the violence and forces at play at this historic moment.|
Death of General Wolfe

The Death of General Wolfe, 2016, resin, clay, musket rounds and pipes, 2016, 23 x 17.5 x 24″

The Death of General Wolfe

Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe, 1770, oil on canvas, 59 2/5 × 84 3/10″

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