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"Chariot Race" - I saw this painting in Manchester Art Gallery yesterday and it is a very important piece as it obviously forms the basis of the set design/cinematography for the 'Ben-Hur' films by Fred Niblo (1925) and then the re-make by Wyler in 1959.
1. The art gallery records claim that it was painted in 1882, two years after the book 'Ben Hur' was published. 2. Niblo seems to have used Wagner's composition for the race scene - see www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpnW2Pz-61U&t=3m56s 3. The wide aspect ratio of Wagner's work was adopted in the 1959 film remake, including the intact wheel spinning off to one side. 4. Lew Wallace, author of Ben-Hur, provided the introductory text for the Columbian Exposition (Chicago Fair) book of engravings of 1893 at which the painting is claimed to have been shown. http://www.abebooks.com/Centennial-Exposition-Engravings-Introduction-Lew-Wallace/1077221778/bd 5. It was donated to Mancheter Art Gallery in 1898. http://www.manchestergalleries.org/the-collections/search-the-collection/display.php?EMUSESSID=0dce7f1f54356e42439299f17bf659b3&overview=1&r=837735145
Brian London — Preceding unsigned comment added by BWernham (talk • contribs) 13:07, 19 September 2013 (UTC)