Prospero and Miranda — John Adam Plimmer Houston (1812 – 1884) Exhibited Royal Scottish Academy 1865 (26″ x 36″)

“Prospero and Miranda” by John Adam Houston is a luminous Victorian oil capturing the poignant exile scene from Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act 1, Scene 2): the deposed Duke Prospero and infant Miranda adrift in an overloaded boat amid rocky arches and moonrise glow. Houston tenderly conveys the father-daughter bond amid themes of betrayal and resilience. The composition stems from Houston’s original study, which inspired Stephen Miller’s wood engraving published in Charles Knight’s Pictorial Edition of the Works of Shakespeare (c. 1839–1843). This refined 1865 oil version was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy (No. 503, lent by John Collie, Esq.).