William Holman Hunt - Master Hilary - The Tracer, 1886

"Hilary had first appeared in his father's work as the Christ Child in 'The Triumph of the Innocents' (1876-87; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool), and other early studies of him are reproduced in Hunt's autobiography. In our picture he is seen through the glass of a French window, we ourselves standing outside with the painter, looking into a shadowed room, the child inside looking out. He has stuck a design on the glass with sealing wax, and is about to trace it against the light with the stick of coloured chalk which he holds in his right hand. At his feet are a box of paints, his paint brushes in a glass of water, and an upturned white china plate which he presumably uses as a palette." - Christie's catalogue notes (extensive)

The painting "remained in Hilary's possession until his death in 1949. It was then inherited by his daughter, Diana, who died" in 1993.

William Holman Hunt - Fanny and Edith Waugh

Fanny Holman Hunt, 1866-1868

From the collection of the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio (link).

"We ... know from letters that Hunt wrote to W. J. Bunney, his studio assistant in Florence, that he reconstructed this memorial image of his wife with the same care and precision that he devoted to his major religious paintings. He took great care, for instance, to secure Fanny's own peacock shawl, the painting of which one contemporary reviewer took to be the "greatest tour de force of the exhibition" when it was shown at the 1869 Royal Academy." - The Victorian Web

Photograph of Fanny shared at the Pre-Raphaelite Art blog.

From Stephanie Pina at her website, The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood -
Isabella and the Pot of Basil

"... in 1865 at the age of thirty-eight, [William Holman Hunt married] Fanny Waugh, the daughter of a prosperous London chemist. In August the following year, when Fanny was seven months pregnant, they set out for what would have been Hunt's second visit to the East, and on 20 December 1866 she died at Florence after giving birth to a son. He was named Cyril Benoni (Hebrew for 'child of sorrow'). Nine years later Hunt married Fanny's younger sister Edith, flouting the Table of Affinities, outraging her family, and causing a permanent rift with his fellow PRB Thomas Woolner, who had married another Waugh daughter. Of this second marriage there were two children, Gladys, born in 1878, and Hilary Lushington, born on 6 May 1879." - from Christie's lot notes

The Birthday

"The Birthday (1868) is a striking portrait of the artist's sister-in-law, Edith Waugh, on her twenty-first birthday, surrounded by gifts. They include a cameo, which Holman Hunt had originally given to his first wife, Fanny Waugh, Edith's sister. ..."

"Edith had become a surrogate mother to Fanny and William’s son, and seven years after this painting, Edith and Hunt (age 48) were married in Switzerland – because English law (the Table of Affinities) forbade their marriage. Incidentally, Edith and Hunt, who by then was quite prominent, campaigned against this ridiculous prohibition, and in 1907 Parliament passed the Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Act, which sanctioned their union."

Information about Fanny and Edith from the Dictionary of artists' models

by Jill Berk Jiminez and Joanna Banham.

William Holman Hunt (British, 1827-1910)

Miss Gladys M. Holman Hunt
(The School of Nature)

A photograph of Gladys as a child - National Portrait Gallery

Works by William Holman Hunt at ArtMagick

A question from a reader of the Telegraph - UK

John William Waterhouse - The Shrine

The Shrine (detail)

Wishing you much joy and happiness in the New Year!

Montréal - Christmas trees and the wonderful Waterhouse exhibit

Beautiful Christmas trees can be found in the lobby and halls of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion - Montréal Museum of Fine Arts through 3 January 2010. (The 35 trees were decorated by local groups that reflect Quebec's cultural diversity.)

Below are photographs of signs for the John William Waterhouse exhibition - Garden of Enchantment - I found amongst the Christmas trees.

But, you need to cross the street and enter the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion for a visit to the wonderful exhibit (showing through 7 February 2010).


If you look closely in through the windows at the far right of the photograph above, you can almost :) see part of a display of exhibition catalogues in the lobby at the entrance to the gift shop.

After going up to the third floor, these beautiful banners greet you at the entrance to the exhibit (the door to the left furthest away).

We aren't allowed to take photographs in the exhibiton galleries ... but, I found the two below that some brave souls had taken of Waterhouse's 1894 and 1888 versions of The Lady of Shalott.


This is the first time all of Waterhouse's paintings of The Lady of Shalott have been exhibited together. The first one shown above is the 1894 version and, of course, the other is his 1888 version. Also in this room of the exhibition, hung to the left of the 1894 painting, is Waterhouse's third version, "I am Half Sick of Shadows," said the Lady of Shalott (1915). To the right is a study for the 1894 version.
In the second photograph, you can see Tennyson's poem, The Lady of Shalott, has been displayed on the wall. Then at the lower left of the photo is a darker area which I believe is the large, round, black cushioned seat in the middle of the room.

"Waterhouse owned a copy of the collected works of Tennyson, the pages of which are covered in sketches for future illustrations. [his lovely book is on display as you enter The Lady of Shalott room] He painted three episodes from this poem: the Lady setting out for Camelot in her boat in 1888; the Lady as she turns to look at Lancelot through her window, 1894; and “I Am Half-Sick of Shadows” in which the Lady sits wistfully before her weaving loom in 1915." - Cheryl Van-Buskirk & Emily Rice

Seeing all of the paintings together was such a wonderful experience. I hope to share more about my trip to Montréal and the Musée des Beaux Arts in another posting.
If you haven't already read it, Matthew Innis has written a very interesting and informative piece about the exhibition: A Visit with Waterhouse: My trip to Montreal.

Photographs courtesy:
1. wallyg - taken August, 2009
2. proacguy1
3. & 4. Photos taken by Cathy
5. A.M. Kuchling - taken October, 2009 (the sign wasn't there when I visited in December)
6. cbransto
7. Photo taken by Cathy
8. Brave soul 1
9. Brave soul 2

John William Waterhouse - Camellias

A favourite work by Waterhouse .... a beauty for all seasons. :)
All the best to you and yours!

Wishing you the very best of the Season !

Happy Holidays

Wishing you much joy and happiness!

Albert Chevalier Tayler (British, 1862-1925) - The Christmas Tree
Aileen Robertson Mackinnon (British, b. 1901) - Cairn
Viggo Johansen (Danish, 1851-1935) - Happy Christmas

Dante Gabriel Rossetti - The Adoration

from The Seed of David
The Adoration, 1858-64
Watercolour on paper
Information from the Tate Collection:

Sandro Botticelli (Italian, ca. 1445-1510)

The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child, about 1490
National Galleries of Scotland

Exhibition - Städel Museum
Through 28 February 2010

Fra Filippo Lippi (Italian, 1406–1469)

1. Madonna delle Roccie
2. Maria mit dem Kinde
Wikipedia

Rossetti and Melozzo Da Forli

I love looking at these together. Different ... but, oh the faces and the colours ... I can't help but wonder if the angel's face might have been an inspiration for Rossetti - or do they just seem quite similar?


Melozzo Da Forli, Angel playing the tambourine, circa 1480
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Hanging the Mistletoe, 1860

Fragments of frescos painted by Melozzo Da Forli circa 1480

Vatican Museums, Pinacoteca, Room IV

List of works in Room IV





Photographs courtesy:
1. & 3. Kwong Yee Cheng
2. IRIS' Travelogue
4. Cuadero de viaje
5. WVJazzman

Melozzo Da Forli (Italian, ca. 1438-1494)

Angel Musicians:
Angel playing the lute
Angel playing the viola
Angel playing the tambourine
Fresco fragments circa 1480
"The painting[s] [are] by Melozzo da Forlì, an Italian Renaissance painter, the first who practised foreshortening with much success and one of the most outstanding fresco painters of the 15th century."
These are included in the 14 fragments that can be seen at the Vatican Museums, Pinacoteca, Room IV.
More information is found at this link.

Rossetti's - Hanging the Mistletoe

Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Hanging the Mistletoe
oil on panel
32.7 x 27 cm
date on image: Xmas 1860-61
(Rossetti Archive)