Can see the before and after images in this article

It’s an 18th Century painting by Joshua Reynolds called The Death of Cardinal Beaufort, based on a Shakespearean death scene.

It’s a good death scene. The cardinal, near death, barely coherent, accidentally confesses to poisoning the Duke Gloucester to the King and Dukes of Salisbury and Warwick in his death throes. And Henry asks God to give him a sign that the Cardinal went to heaven, and… nothing happens.

#Henry VI Act 3, scene 3 Scene 3

Enter King Henry, Salisbury and Warwick, to the Cardinal in bed, raving and staring

 KING HENRY 
      How fares my lord? Speak, Beaufort, to thy sovereign.
 CARDINAL 
       If thou be’st Death, I’ll give thee England’s treasure,
      Enough to purchase such another island,
      So thou wilt let me live and feel no pain.
 KING HENRY 
      Ah, what a sign it is of evil life,
      Where Death’s approach is seen so terrible!
 WARWICK 
      Beaufort, it is thy sovereign speaks to thee.

 CARDINAL 
      Bring me unto my trial when you will.
     Died he not in his bed? Where should he die?
      Can I make men live, whe’er they will or no?
      O, torture me no more! I will confess.
      Alive again? Then show me where he is.
      I’ll give a thousand pound to look upon him.
     He hath no eyes! The dust hath blinded them.
      Comb down his hair. Look, look. It stands upright,
     Like lime-twigs set to catch my wingèd soul.
      Give me some drink, and bid the apothecary
      Bring the strong poison that I bought of him.


 KING HENRY 
       O, Thou eternal mover of the heavens,
       Look with a gentle eye upon this wretch!
      O, beat away the busy meddling fiend
       That lays strong siege unto this wretch’s soul,
      And from his bosom purge this black despair!


 WARWICK 
      See how the pangs of death do make him grin!

   SALISBURY 
      Disturb him not. Let him pass peaceably.

  KING HENRY 
       Peace to his soul, if God’s good pleasure be!—
     Lord Card’nal, if thou think’st on heaven’s bliss,
      Hold up thy hand; make signal of thy hope.

 *The Cardinal dies.*

One critic described it as “too ludicrous and puerile to escape censure”

You mean the guys with horns in the Bible?

I think I’ve seen this movie before

And so it begins… and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.