This late 19th-century oil painting by British artist Francis Sydney Muschamp RBA (1851-1929) depicts a mediaeval couple playing chess within a historic interior, perhaps a castle. Muschamp was predominantly known for his imagined domestic scenes with figures dressed in period costume.Hailing from Hull in Yorkshire, Muschamp moved with his family to London early in life, where he was probably taught to paint by his father, Francis Muschamp Senior. He was an accomplished figure painter and his oeuvre is decorated with beautifully rendered interiors, sweeping dresses, and maidens captivated by chivalrous acts. In some respects, he appears influenced by the Aesthetic Movement but balances this with a traditional Victorian narrative. As such, his works were popular with middle-class buyers, particularly at his peak - they offered a welcome escape from the gritty realities of industrialisation.Here, in this piece from circa 1895, he’s captured a game of chess between two lovers. It’...