Who was this witch's occult rival? The great British art quiz

Thomasine Blight, the White Witch of Helston, by William Jones Chapman. Photograph: Royal Institution of Cornwall

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

Today, our questions are set by Royal Cornwall Museum, in Truro. The Royal Institution of Cornwall Fine Art Collection has been accumulated over more than 100 years, and includes pieces relevant to Cornwall and its history, as well as pieces by artists studying at the St Ives and Newlyn Schools. The online collection is a small fraction of what the Royal Cornwall Museum holds.

You can see art from the Royal Cornwall Museum on Art UK here. Find out more on its website here.

1. 

   It has been suggested that this painting may be a triple portrait of the artist’s three daughters. Which artist?

   1. William Hogarth

   2. Albrech Dürer

   3. Lucas Cranach the Elder

   4. Lucas Cranach the Younger

2. 

   Anthony Payne was known as the Cornish Giant. How tall was he?

   1. 5ft 10in

   2. 7ft 4in

   3. 9ft

   4. 6ft 1in

3. 

   Tamson (Thomasine) Blight was perhaps the most famous of Chapman’s Cornish subjects. Known as the White Witch of Helston, with whom was she known to have had an occult rivalry?

   1. Her sister

   2. Her son

   3. Her husband

   4. Her aunt

4. 

   Frederick Smallfield’s painting The Ringers of Launcells Tower was inspired by the poem of the same title by Rev RS Hawker of Morwenstow. He had previously depicted this image in a different medium. What was it?

   1. Charcoal

   2. Pastel

   3. Graphite

   4. Watercolour

5. 

   This painting is perhaps the most well-loved of the Royal Institution of Cornwall’s fine art collection. Sherwood Hunter painted the procession celebrating the jubilee of Queen Victoria. Which jubilee was it?

   1. Golden

   2. Diamond

   3. Sapphire

   4. Ruby

6. 

   With which painter did Harold Harvey partner to establish a school in Newlyn in 1920?

   1. Pablo Picasso

   2. Stanhope Forbes

   3. Ernest Procter

   4. Vincent van Gogh

7. 

   Bryan Pearce’s paintings were focused on the places and people in his home town, where he lived all his life. Where was this?

   1. St Ives

   2. Penzance

   3. St Just

   4. Newlyn

8. 

   Henry Scott Tuke was known for his en plein air nudes, but was also a prolific painter of what subject?

   1. Townscapes

   2. Maritime

   3. Plantlife

   4. Industry workers

Solutions

1:C - This may be a triple portrait of Cranach's daughters – but there is also a theory that it may be a study, or a fragment of a study, for a now destroyed painting of the Judgement of Paris, a theme which Cranach famously depicted in other works. Image: Study of Three Girls' Heads, c.1525, Lucas Cranach the elder (1472–1553), Royal Institution of Cornwall., 2:B - Anthony Payne was extremely tall for his time at 7ft 4in. During the 17th century, the average height of people did not exceed 5ft 7in. Payne was a yeoman of Stratton and the personal retainer of Sir Bevill Grenville, a leading Royalist. Sir Godfrey Kneller was the leading portraitist in England during his active years, and was commissioned by Charles II himself for Sir Bevill’s son, John of Stowe in Kilkhampton. Image: Anthony Payne (c.1612–91), the Cornish Giant, 1680, Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723), Royal Institution of Cornwall., 3:C - Her husband, James Thomas, was said to have had similar occult powers. He separated from Tamson and fled after a brush with the law for homosexuality. Tamsin continued to practise her cures right up until her death in 1856 (the year of this painting) – the sick would be carried to her bedside on stretchers and allegedly leave walking and in good health. Image: Thomasine Blight (1793–1856), the White Witch of Helston, 1856, William Jones Chapman (1808–after 1870), Royal Institution of Cornwall., 4:D - Smallfield studied at the Royal Academy, but he was also associated with the Watercolour Society, where his earlier watercolour version of The Ringers or Launcells Tower was exhibited. The bells were rung in 1810 for George III’s golden jubilee by the surviving ringers of his accession in 1760. As he was painting some 77 years after the event, Smallfield studied the ringers of his local church in Willesden, London, to ensure an accurate portrayal. Image: The Ringers of Launcells Tower, 1887, Frederick Smallfield (1829–1915), Royal Institution of Cornwall., 5:B - Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee began in June 1897, marking her 60th anniversary as queen. George Sherwood Hunter settled in Newlyn permanently in 1902, having begun visiting the town around the time of this painting. He taught alongside Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes at the Newlyn School. Considering the limited palette Hunter worked with, the detail and expression of the children’s faces is quite remarkable. Image: Jubilee Procession in a Cornish Village, June 1897, 1897, George Sherwood Hunter (1846–1919), Royal Institution of Cornwall., 6:C - Ernest Procter was Harvey’s closest friend. Harvey’s work developed over time, having originally resembled that of Stanhope Forbes. He and his contemporaries, Ernest and Dod Procter, later had comparable styles, though Harvey’s work did not take on the same Picasso influences, forging the partnership between Ernest and Harold. Harvey’s work depicted the working people of the Penzance area, including miners, fisherman and the clay workers seen in The Clay Pit. Image: The Clay Pit, 1923, Harold C Harvey (1874–1941), Royal Institution of Cornwall. , 7:A - Pearce’s condition, phenylketonuria, was unknown at the time, affecting brain development. His unique style is thought to derive from his fascinating view of the world, creating these images of St Ives that document the changes in the town during his life. Image: Irene, 1975, Bryan Pearce (1929–2007) © Royal Institution of Cornwall. , 8:B - Henry Scott Tuke studied at the Slade, London and in Italy. He spent some time in Paris, where Jules Bastien-Lepage influenced his style of painting and this encouraged him to move to Newlyn and fully adopt en plein air painting into his works. He later moved to Falmouth. His time in Cornwall gave him ample opportunity to study his two favourite subjects: the open-air nude and sailing ships. Image: After the Bathe, Henry Scott Tuke (1858–1929), Royal Institution of Cornwall.

Scores

1. 8 and above.

   Well done! Consider yourself a 7ft giant of this art quiz

2. 7 and above.

   Well done! Consider yourself a 7ft giant of this art quiz

3. 6 and above.

   Not bad - maybe treat yourself to a pasty

4. 5 and above.

   Not bad - maybe treat yourself to a pasty

5. 4 and above.

   Not bad - maybe treat yourself to a pasty

6. 2 and above.

   Oh dear, your occult powers have failed you

7. 1 and above.

   Oh dear, your occult powers have failed you

8. 0 and above.

   Oh dear, your occult powers have failed you

9. 3 and above.

   Oh dear, your occult powers have failed you