The great British art quiz: set by Compton Verney, Warwickshire

Home of six collections ... Compton Verney. Photograph: Michael Robertson-Smith

This quiz is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, the online home for the UK’s public art collections, showing art from more than 3,000 venues and by 45,000 artists. Each day, a different collection on Art UK will set the questions.

Today, our questions come from Compton Verney art gallery and park, in Warwickshire. The gallery is home to six diverse collections from around the world including British folk art; the Marx-Lambert collection; Chinese bronzes, including objects from the Neolithic and Shang periods; British portraiture including paintings of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Edward VI; northern European art (1450-1650); and Neapolitan art (1600-1800).

You can see art from Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park on Art UK here. Find out more about the collection here.

1. 

   What type of musical instruments were produced in large quantities during the Zhou period in China (about 1050-221BC)?

   1. Xylophones

   2. Bells

   3. Whistles

   4. Drums

2. 

   What was the name of Henry VIII’s only son, by his third wife, Jane Seymour?

   1. James

   2. Charles

   3. Henry

   4. Edward

3. 

   What is the name of this late 18th-century ship?

   1. The Indomitable

   2. The Indestructible

   3. The Indefatigable

   4. The Invincible

4. 

   Which classical hero famously battled with the giant Antaeus?

   1. Perseus

   2. Theseus

   3. Jason

   4. Hercules

5. 

   In the late Georgian period which obese gentleman became an exhibit in his own right?

   1. Daniel Lambert

   2. Daniel Defoe

   3. Daniel Gardner

   4. Daniel Bull

6. 

   The sanctuary on the right of this picture, known as the Madonna dell’Arco, housed a miraculous image of Mary which was believed to have protected this church in Naples from which natural disaster in 1631?

   1. A volcanic eruption

   2. A flood

   3. An earthquake

   4. A fire

7. 

   How old is Ludwig Count Palatine in this portrait by Hans Besser?

   1. 15

   2. 42

   3. 29

   4. 10

8. 

   Which contemporary of Eric Ravilious (1903-42) was barred from wood-engraving classes at the Royal College of Art for being too unorthodox?

   1. Edward Bawden

   2. Enid Marx

   3. Paul Nash

   4. John Nash

Solutions

1:B - Bells were used in China as early as 2000BC, but it wasn’t until the Zhou period that bell-casting reached its peak. Bells made into tuned sets were common during the Western Zhou (circa 1045–771BC), though they weren’t produced in Europe until the Middle Ages. By the fifth century BC, sets were sometimes enormous, the largest known to date having 64 bells and requiring a team of musicians. Image: Bell, Zheng. Bronze, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-221 BC) © Compton Verney, photograph by Jamie Woodley, 2:D - Henry VIII’s only son, Edward VI, became king in 1547 at the age of nine and ruled for six years until his death in 1553. This portrait by Guillim Scrots (1537–1553) shows Edward’s profile, with a group of plants that, instead of turning to the sun, are facing the young king. An elaborate text beneath, in Italian and Latin, reiterates the power of the king as being equal to the sun. Image: Edward VI (1537–1553), circa 1550, oil on panel, attributed to Guillim Scrots (active 1537–1553), Compton Verney, 3:C - A ship named HMS Indefatigable sailed throughout the French revolutionary wars and Napoleonic wars. Image: The Indefatigable, late 18th century, oil on canvas, British (English) School, Compton Verney, 4:D - In classical mythology, the giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaia, challenged all to a fight to the death, knowing that he would always win as long as he remained in contact with the Earth, the source of his eternal strength and his mother. The Greek hero Heracles (named Hercules in Roman mythology) understood the giant's secret and lifted him off the ground and defeated him. Lucas Cranach the Elder painted this artwork around 1530. Image: Hercules and Antaeus circa 1530, oil on panel, Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), Compton Verney, 5:A - In 1806, Daniel Lambert was 36 and renowned as the heaviest man in England, weighing 53 stone (335kg). Poverty led him to invite curiosity seekers to view him at home, and over the following three years he also made a series of tours. Visiting him became quite fashionable and the phrase "Daniel Lambert" became a euphemism for something huge. In 1809, he died from sudden heart failure. Image: Daniel Lambert (1770–1809) circa 1800, oil on canvas, British (English) School, Compton Verney, 6:A - This painting by Pietro Fabris was commissioned by his patron, the British envoy in Naples, Sir William Hamilton. Hamilton and Fabris collaborated on a number of projects, including the production by Fabris of plates for Hamilton’s book on volcanic sites entitled Campi Phlegraei, or "flaming fields". Both men were interested in Neapolitan costumes and customs, which inspired this painting of the festival of the Madonna dell’Arco on Easter Monday. Image: The Festival of the Madonna dell’Arco, 1777, oil on canvas, Pietro Fabris (active circa 1740-1804), Compton Verney, 7:D - When this portrait was painted in 1549, the sitter, Ludwig, was 10 years old and residing at the court of Baden, north-west Germany. He later became ruler of the German principality of the Upper Palatinate, and in 1576 succeeded to the title of Elector Palatine as Ludwig VI. Hans Besser was a German Renaissance portraitist. Image: Ludwig Count Palatine (1539–1583), aged 10, 1549, oil on panel, Hans Besser (1510–1558), Compton Verney, 8:B - Enid Marx’s artistic talents were prodigious. She excelled as a textile designer, author, designer and illustrator of children’s books, printmaker and painter. Compton Verney has on display the collection of folk art and popular art with which Marx and her partner, Margaret Lambert, surrounded themselves at home. They were passionate collectors and travelled the UK adding to their collection. These objects were a source of great inspiration for Marx’s own work. Image: Staffordshire Dog With Tulips in a Vase, 1950–55, oil on canvas, Enid Marx (1902–1998), © the artist’s estate, Compton Verney

Scores

1. 6 and above.

   Well done – you're straight outta Compton!

2. 0 and above.

   Well, you tried.

3. 3 and above.

   A fair result – maybe you need to see these pictures in the flesh when lockdown lifts.