The Joy of the Frog - Sir Quentin Blake
27.04.2026
Some murals don’t simply decorate a wall. They spring into life.
With The Joy of the Frog, Sir Quentin Blake brings a new burst of movement, humour and imagination to The Sherborne’s contemporary atrium staircase. Unveiled during the 300th anniversary year of the completion of Sir James Thornhill’s Calydonian Boar Hunt, the mural creates a vivid and playful counterpoint to the house’s great Baroque masterpiece. Where Thornhill’s world surges with mythic drama and heroic pursuit, Quentin’s offers something lighter on its feet: a joyous frog making its way through a world of music, creativity, play and comic theatre.
The journey begins quietly at ground level. The frog sits beside a speaker with a scroll, while opposite a janitor stands with a large pail on wheels. Nearby, a man carries a large package, as though we have stepped backstage just before a performance begins. But as visitors start to climb, Quentin Blake’s imaginative world unfurls and scale becomes gleefully unstable.
An opera singer sends three musicians skyward with the force of her voice: a violinist, a triangle player and a trumpeter, from whose instrument the frog suddenly bursts into view. Higher still, we encounter an artist at work, children at play with the frog woven into their games, and a photographer poised to catch the moment. An Elvis-style singer appears, graciously receiving flowers from an adoring fan, while a boy with balloons drifts towards the highest stretch of the stairs. At the very top, the frog makes one final leap towards an outstretched medal-giver, as though the entire ascent has been building to this gloriously absurd reward.
Set within The Sherborne’s historic interior, the mural becomes a dialogue across centuries: Baroque grandeur answering airy wit, the boar hunt balanced by the frog leap, drama answered by delight. Playful yet carefully composed, The Joy of the Frog feels entirely at home here, reminding us that walls can hold both grandeur and glee.
What you’ll see
A new mural by Sir Quentin Blake created for The Sherborne
A playful contemporary counterpoint to Thornhill’s Calydonian Boar Hunt
A staircase journey filled with music, theatre, movement and comic surprise
Characters that shift scale, tell stories and seem to rise right off the wall
About Sir Quentin Blake
Sir Quentin Blake is one of Britain’s best-loved artists, celebrated for a line that feels quick, witty, generous and unmistakably alive. Across a long and remarkable career, he has created worlds full of lift, character and imagination, where a few marks can become a whole story.
A note on the mural
The mural is by Sir Quentin Blake and has been realised from his original design. As with many large-scale wall works, it was executed by specialist installers working closely to the artist’s vision.
Plan your visit
Opening times: Open daily from 10:30am to 4pm (3pm on Sundays)
Entry to The Sherborne is free.