In Sir Edwin Landseer’s 1840 painting Trial by Jury (more commonly known as Laying Down the Law), the packed courtroom clusters around the imposing figure of the Lord Chancellor. In front of him, the trappings of his position: a roll of papers tied with red string, an ink pot with quill pens, and a thick, open legal volume. On the right-hand page of this book lies a pair of spectacles. The fact that this is a satiric scene—the senior legal figure is a solemn French poodle; his law clerk a spaniel; terriers, a greyhound, and representatives of other breeds press in to hear the verdict—does nothing to diminish the portentous role of the spectacles lying side by side with the Lord Chancellor’s firmly placed paw. They may be necessary to allow the poodle to read the closely printed text—his eyes are rather rheumy—but they are clearly a prop as...
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