The Blind Fiddler

David Wilkie, 1806

$249

Size

These sizes keep the painting’s true proportions. Want a different shape? Email us and we’ll adapt it.

Frame

Framing never costs more than the painting. Compare rolled, stretched and framed

Hand-painted
Photo before it ships
Free shipping
90-day returns

Questions? Text, WhatsApp, call or email

After you order

What happens next

1An artist is assigned. Your painting goes to one of our painters as soon as the order is in.

2It is painted. Oil on canvas, layer by layer. 3 to 4 weeks.

3The approval promise. We send you a photo of the finished painting before it ships, and we change anything that is not right.

4It ships tracked. 4 to 10 working days to most countries, door to door.

The painting

The Blind Fiddler

The Blind Fiddler is a hand-painted oil on canvas reproduction of David Wilkie's work. Each piece is made to order, with full customization of size and framing to suit your space. Every reproduction is backed by our 90-day satisfaction guarantee, with free worldwide shipping.

About the original

Painted in: 1806
Original size: 79.4 × 57.8 cm (31.3 × 22.8 in)
Where it hangs: National Gallery, London

See where the originals hang

Detail

Specification

Medium	Oil on canvas
Painting size
Framed size
Frame
Orientation
Dominant colour
Arrives	Rolled, ready for local framing
Packed	Rolled in a protective tube
Turnaround	3 to 4 weeks, then delivery

The hand behind it

David Wilkie

Sir David Wilkie made his name with lively scenes of everyday Scottish and English life: village politicians arguing, a blind fiddler playing, a family facing the bailiffs. His early paintings have the fine detail and warm tones of Dutch genre painting, with each face showing its own reaction. He was born in Pitlessie in Fife and studied in Edinburgh and at the Royal Academy Schools in London. Success came fast: he was a full Academician by 1811. His Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch (1822), painted for the Duke of Wellington, still hangs at Apsley House. After travels in Italy and Spain his style became broader and richer in colour. He became painter to William IV and Queen Victoria and was knighted in 1836. Distraining for Rent and Boys Digging for Rats show his storytelling at its best. Look at how every figure in the crowd has a part to play.

All paintings by this artist

Looking after it

Care and hanging

Keep it out of direct sun. Oil paint and varnish yellow and crack under prolonged UV. An interior wall away from a south-facing window is ideal.

Dust it, do not clean it. A dry, soft brush once or twice a year. No water, no sprays, no cleaning products.

Avoid damp and heat. Not above a radiator, not in a bathroom. Canvas expands and contracts with humidity.

Hang it at eye level. The centre of the painting about 145 cm (57 in) from the floor, on two fixings so it sits level.

Before you buy

Questions

How is the finish priced?

The price you see is the painting at the size you chose, in the finish you chose, and it updates as you change either. Rolled arrives in a protective tube, ready for local framing. Stretched arrives on wooden bars, ready to hang. Framed arrives in its frame, ready to hang. Stretched and framed go up to 60 × 90 cm (24 × 36 in); larger paintings travel rolled.

How long does it take?

Painting begins after you order and takes 3 to 4 weeks, including drying and the photo you approve. Delivery then takes 4 to 10 working days to most countries. More on delivery times.

Will it look exactly like the original?

It is painted by a person, so no. Brushwork varies between copies, which is the difference between a painting and a poster.

What if I do not like it?

Ninety days from delivery, full refund.

Can I get The Blind Fiddler in a different size or shape?

Yes. The Blind Fiddler is painted to the size you want, in the original’s proportions, or adapted to another shape on request. Stretched and framed go up to 60 x 90 cm (24 x 36 in). The original measures 79.4 x 57.8 cm (31.3 x 22.8 in).

Every order