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Writing Cabinet, 1898-99 by C.R. Ashbee
Charles Robert Ashbee was a talented cabinet maker as well as an architect and jewelry maker. He was a follower of the Arts & Crafts movement and even tried to establish a handicraft colony, but it unfortunately failed.
Sugar Bowl C.R. Ashbee
Melittion, 1882 by Frederic Lord Leighton.
Although this figure is dressed in the classical style, a clear reference to a Greek character could not be found. In a play from 1818 by Austrian Franz Grillparzer called Sappho there is a character called Melitta, who vies with Sappho for the love of the young man Phaon.
Beata Beatrix, 1872 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Art Institute of Chicago.
This is a portrait of Rossetti's wife Elizabeth Siddal that was painted after her death. In it he casts her as Dante's Beatrice, thereby casting himself as his namesake. When Siddal died he was so overcome with grief he buried his manuscript book of poetry along with her (five years later he retrieved it).
The Bower Meadow, 1850-1872 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Manchester City Art Galleries, UK.
Begun in 1850 the background is Knole Park, Kent which he painted out of doors with William Holman Hunt. The Pre-Raphaelites advocated painting out of doors in natural settings, but this is the only time Rossetti ventured down that road. He completed the figures in 1872.
The Day-dream, 1880 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The model in this piece, Jane Morris is the wife of William Morris and it is a widely held belief that Rossetti and Jane carried on an affair.
La Belle Iseult, 1858 by William Morris, The Tate Modern, London.
The model for this work is Jane Burden who later became the wife of William Morris and lived with him at Red House. Note his emphasis on the design and detail in the room, he later gave up painting in favor of interior design and was very successful with Morris & Co.
Peacock Tile Panel by William De Morgan, Formally The Peacock House now run by the Richmond Fellowship, London.
William De Morgan became involved with the Pre-Raphaelite movement through William Morris. Morris, Burne-Jones and others were interested in medieval decoration for their homes and De Morgan's tiles were the perfect addition.
Leisure Hours by John Everett Millais, The Detroit Institute of Arts.
Late in his career, Millais gave up the idealisim of his youth and the PRB and created very popular and sentimental pieces. He was also quite sought after as a portrait artist for his ability to create beautiful paintings around his subjects.
The Star of Bethlehem, 1888-91 by Edward Burne-Jones, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, UK.
This watercolor was originally a design for a tapestry and is very large roughly 8ft x 12ft and he used a ladder to do the painting.
Crinum erubescens and Amaryllis superba by Priscilla Susan Bury nee Falkner Bury Aquatint printed in color, finished by hand from Priscilla Susan Falkner Bury (1793-1869)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Mariana by John Everett Millais, Private Collection.
Mariana is the main character in a poem by Tennyson that deals with a woman "trapped" in her life. She is surrounded in a perfect Victorian setting by the dictates of the Arts & Crafts movement. The movement was a reaction to the increased industrialization of the world and sought to emulate a time when everything was created by hand.
Pity, c. 1795 by William Blake.
From Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act I, Scene VII when Macbeth what would happen after Duncan is murdered "And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air."
Blake's unique style developed from his training as an illustrator and his unbounded imagination.
The Mock Turtle's Story, 1907 illustrations by Arthur Rackham for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
...They had not gone far before they saw the Mock Turtle in the distance, sitting sad and lonely on a little ledge of rock, and, as they came nearer, Alice could hear him sighing as if his heart would break. She pitied him deeply. "What is his sorrow?" she asked the Gryphon, and the Gryphon answered, "very nearly in the same words as before, It's all his fancy, that: he hasn't got no sorrow, you know. Come on!"....
An Experiment on a Bird in the Airpump, 1768 by Joseph Wright of Derby.
Wright of Derby studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds however his work is more experimental as he was fascinated with light and painting the effects of light and darkness. This work even features the moonlight so it is a combination of artificial and natural light.
Lady of Shalott, c. 1872 - 3 by Arthur Hughes.
A favorite subject of Victorian painters and based on a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, there are many versions of the Lady.
Medusa or Gorgon, 1st Century A.D., From the Temple of Sulis Minerva at the Roman Bath in Bath, England.
This representation of the Gorgon Medusa was part of the pediment decoration from the Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath. Sulis Minerva was a goddess of healing and the sulfur infused waters found at Bath were thought to have healing powers. Usually Medusa is depicted as a woman and this representation looks more like a man which makes it seem that it may be a mistaken attribution and that this representation might actually be of a river god from local folklore.
Head of the Goddess Sulis Minerva from Bath, England.
Tea Party, c. 1880 by Kate Greenaway.
Kate Greenaway was one of the most popular children's book illustrators of the 19th century. Her idealized children were just what her Victorian audience wanted.
A Bigger Splash, 1967 by David Hockney, Tate Gallery, London.
Hockney was interested in capturing a splash of water that only lasts for mere seconds and depicting it on canvas. Throughout his career he has done series on the same subjects.
Knucklebones, c. 1830 -1896 by Frederic, Lord Leighton, Private Collection.
Playing an ancient Greek game called Astragoli, the model looks like she is sleeping rather than playing a game. Leighton's models were often seen lounging in diaphanous gowns.
Red Hous, 1859 owned by William Morris, architect Philip Webb. Decorated by Morris & Co., National Trust, Bexleyheath, England.
A departure from the traditional Victorian style because it was open and full of light. Morris reaction to the industrial movement motivated him to hire artists and craftspersons to decorate the home and lead to the beginning of the arts and crafts movement.Interiors