John William Godward (British, 1861-1922)

A Pompeian Lady

细节

John William Godward (British, 1861-1922)
A Pompeian Lady
signed and dated 'J.W. Godward 1891' (upper left)
oil on canvas
30¼ x 18¼ in. (76.8 x 46.3 cm.)
Painted in 1891

来源

Messrs Thomas McLean & Son, London, 1891.
Messrs Percy Polak Ltd, London, January 1964.
Harrods, London.
Mrs Rachel Cobden.
Richard Green, London.
M. Enghanayan.

出版

V. Swanson, John William Godward - The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, 1997, no. 1891/7, pp. 181-182 (illustrated in colour pl. 125).

展览

London, Thomas McLean & Son, 27th Annual Exhibition, 1891, no. 28.

拍品专文

The details of Godward's life are shrouded in mystery. That he became an artist against family wishes is scarcely unusual for the 19th Century; however it was his reclusive nature - he declined invitations to become a member of the Royal Academy and, from 1905, ceased to exhibit at all in England - that has resulted in such a frustrating dearth of information concerning his life and works.

The present work dates from a period that saw Godward's reputation established amongst the late Victorian Classicists, and it shows his increasing inclination in the early 1890s away from multi-figure groupings towards more pared-down, single figure compositions, infused with a rich and studied mixture of technical élan and heady exoticism.