Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Good Harvest of 1854



The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painter Charles Allston Collins was a friend of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and, as an admirer, imitated the bright color palette and detail of their paintings. The celebrated art critic John Ruskin lauded “the careful painting in this little study” entitled, “The Good Harvest of 1854.” In this scene, a young girl is shown with a sheaf of corn symbolizing bread. The ivy may alludes to the wine of Holy Communion.

This painting was part of the collection of the Reverend Chauncey Hare Townshend. Regular readers of this blog know the Reverend as a collector of jewels, but he also had an eye for paintings.




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