Ariel

1826 · Oil painting · 24.7 × 38.1 cm

May one see it?

Yes, receiving visitors

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

RoomPaintings, Room 82, The Edwin and Susan Davies Galleries

On public display.

Checked: 7 days ago
In this state since: Sep 25, 2026
Source: The museum's own collection data

On the map Museum page

About the painting

Severn took the image from Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, where the mischievous sprite Ariel sings:

There I couch when owls do cry.

On a bat's back I do fly…

He was a close friend of the poet John Keats in Rome, where this work was painted. He exhibited several paintings of Ariel at the Royal Academy. There is another in the V&A collection (see 1416-1869).

Victoria and Albert Museum

Particulars

Accession number: 1410-1869

What it shows

Fairy Bat Ariel

In the catalog

British School Rome

Sources

Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 7 days ago
Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

All works

Ariel: 'Where the Bee Sucks...'

ca. 1826-1836 · Victoria and Albert Museum

Prayer to the Virgin Mary in Rome

1839 · Not on view · State Hermitage Museum

Scene from Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard'

19th century · Not on view · Victoria and Albert Museum

John Keats

ca. 1820 · Not on view · Victoria and Albert Museum

The Death of Julian Avenel

1849 · Not on view · Victoria and Albert Museum

The Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots

ca. 1850 · Not on view · Victoria and Albert Museum

Neighbors at Victoria and Albert Museum

Museum page

Statuette, Johann Joachim Kändler, late 18th century

design by Johann Joachim Kaendler, manufactured by Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH

Statuette, late 18th century

Figurine, 700-800

Buddha Sakyamuni, 9th century-10th century

Chakravarti Paloja

Jina Parsvanatha, late 12th century - early 14th century

Figurine, 1127-1279, or later

Seated Buddha, early 3rd century

Figure, 618-907

Edward Henry Wehnert