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Freddie
Mercury wrote this song, being inspired by the painting of Richard Dadd of the same name.
On April 18th 2004 I went to Tate Britain in London to see this painting.
Sadly it was stored away temporarily so it was not on display.
I bought a large reproduction of this painting.
The
various groups in the lower circle, moving counter-clockwise from the
Fairy-Feller are: Ostler, Monk Ploughman and 'Waggoner Will';
two-men-about- town: a clodhopper with satyr's head (seated), a
politician, 'some fairy dandy', and his nymph, two elves, a pedagogue (crouching),
and the arch magician behind; two ladie's maids, Lubin and his 'Chloe or
Phyllis'; two dwarf conjurers. Along the brim of the magician's hat are
Queen Mab and her cortege on the left, spanish dancers on the right,
with Oberon and Titania and 'a harridan' higher up. At the top left are
a 'Tatterdemalion and a Junketer' and 'a dragonfly trumpeter'; to the
right are soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy, apothecary, thief.
In a long poem, written about the time Richard Dadd finished this
painting, he tells us that they have gathered at the command of the
white bearded man in the middle with a gold hat and club. They are
watching the Fairy Feller in brown who is about to split open a nut with
his axe to make a new carriage for the Fairy Queen, Mab. Her tiny figure
can be seen riding in the old one across the brim of the bearded man's
hat.
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