Saturday, May 30, 2009

Frederic Lord Leighton - The Light of the Hareem


there is a sketch of this in the V&A


48 x 32"
Art Journal, 1880, p. 187

"A stately girl winding round her head the figured cloth of her turban, while a little girl in blue dress holds for her the looking-glass".

Athenaeum, 1880 Vol I, p. 572

"The ingenuous looks of the child, and the refined colour of her draperies are of first-rate quality, and distinguished by delicate finish. The principal figure is at once graceful and stately, and, according to the mood adopted by the painter, is admirable throughout, because it perfectly fulfils its intended purpose. The accessories, rich in black and gold, sumptuous colouring, and rich illumination are in perfect keeping with the motive of the picture."

This is the oil study for the picture exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1880, No. 256The group also appears in the fresco 'The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace', executed 1883-6, for which the oil cartoon was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1873The model for the young girl was Isabell Helena Pullar, Dorothy Dene's youngest sister.

There is another sketch in the Victoria and Albert Museum

2 comments:

Monika said...

Your blog is very wonderful! Thank you very much! I am graphical in a museum, I like these paintings very much!
Monika-Mammka

Hermes said...

Thank you kindly, how nice of you.

Phillip