The Heart of Empire

The Heart of Empire embodies all the optimism and pride of the young twentieth century. It refers to the City of London as the centre of the world economy and a grand metropolis. This view looks west across the bustling City, filled with people and carriages in the streets, from the roof of the Royal Exchange. Mansion House sits on the left side and part of the Bank of England is visible in the bottom right corner. Immediately ahead is the conical corner turret of the old Mappin and Webb building (replaced by the No. 1 Poultry by Sir James Stirling). The dome of St Paul’s can be seen almost in the centre of the composition. London was a thriving city with an expansive trading network and the empire was at its height.
Niels Moller Lund was born in Faaborg, Denmark in 1863 and died in London in 1916. He studied at the Academy Julian in Paris, where he grew up. The Heart of the Empire is his best-known painting and it epitomises his impressionistic style depicting English scenes, most often in London and the north of England.