Masterpiece of the Week: “The Fairytale,” by James Sant, 1845

The Fairytale
James Sant, 1845
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

A favorite painter of Queen Victoria’s, James Sant enjoyed painting landscapes, but was better known as a portrait painter. This member of the Royal Academy was welcomed into the most prominent homes in England, including the Royal residences, where his prestigious sitters were delighted by his beautiful canvases and marveled at his exceptional work ethic. The collections of many of England’s stately homes include portraits and landscapes painted by Sant.

Every so often, Sant combined his two loves—landscape and portraiture—into genre paintings, domestic scenes and historical or literary groups with strong compositions and delicately painted figures. He especially thrilled in painting mothers and children. One of his more famous paintings is a portrait of a mother and child in a allegorical composition entitled “The Fairytale.” 

Now housed in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, the painting is at once tranquil and tender as well as urgent and mysterious. On the surface, it is simply a scene of a mother telling her young child a fairytale, but look closer. This is a study of Victorian-era ideals. Examine the painting and see what it says to you. 

Click on the image below for a super big copy:

Pets of the Belle Époque: “A Girl with Dogs” by Charles Burton Barber, 1893

Girl with Dogs
Charles Burton Barber, 1893
The Lady Lever Art Gallery
Liverpool

A popular subject matter of the late Nineteenth Century was the sentimental portrait of a child and his/her pets. Near the end of his life, painter Charles Burton Barber painted several such paintings, not so much out of a deep love for the subject, but because he knew they’d sell. And, sell they did.


Soap magnate Lord Leverhulme purchased this painting in 1901 for the purpose of using it in advertisements for Lever Brothers soap. The image of the little girl projected an innocent quality as she struggled to carry two puppies in her skirts while their nervous mother and sibling look on. As was often the case with Lord Leverhulme, he purchased the painting for business, but kept it for pleasure. It still resides in the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool. 

Painting of the Day: “Miss Elizabeth Ingram,” Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1757

Miss Elizabeth Ingram
Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1757
The Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool

At first glance, this appears to be a typical Mid-Eighteenth Century painting. We have the sitter posed in a vaguely Classical background—as was the style of the day. Her intellectual and social status is made clear to us by the Greek-inspired column. Attired in her finest gown, she gazes out at the viewer in a gentle, yet resolute, manner.


However, on further inspection, we see what made Joshua Reynolds one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the era. Notice the details in her gown—the folds and sheen of the silk, the pinched rigidity of her stomacher. These are the qualities which set Reynolds’ work apart from his contemporaries.

Modern viewers—especially younger people who seem to enjoy being tan (or orange, in some cases), Miss Ingram will probably seem quite pale. While it’s true that a lady would not have had the leathery glow of our current “ideal beauty,” she wouldn’t have wanted to have quite such a pallid countenance either. Usually, Eighteenth Century ladies were painted with very rosy cheeks and skin. Thus was the case of Miss Ingram whose face and hands originally had a lovely pink-ish quality. Reynolds and his fellow artists of the Eighteenth Century often used pink pigments which proved to be unstable over time. Many portraits from this era feature pale subjects who were once quite healthy looking—having lost their natural blush to the fading of time. 

Painting of the Day: “A Dress Rehearsal,” by Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1888

A Dress Rehearsal
Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1888
The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool

This is one of the many paintings based on the contemporary French naturalistic style which were collected by Lord Leverhulme to advertise his line of soaps. Once the paintings had been employed as images in his ads, Leverhulme brought the paintings home and gifted them to his wife. After her passing, the collection became the centerpiece of The Lady Lever Art Gallery.


Leverhulme used this scene by Albert Chevallier Tayler as an advertising image. He was drawn to this scene of a young bride modeling her wedding dress before her nuptials. Tayler, an artist from Cornwall, specialized in these sentimental domestic scenes and images of working class and pleasant families. This was just the sort of theme that Leverhulme wanted for his advertisements, and found much success with them.

Painting of the Day: “The Center of Attraction,” James Hayllar, 1875

The Center of Attraction
James Hayllar, 1875
Purchased by Lord Leverhulme in 1891 from The Royal Academy.
The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool

Apparently, Lord Leverhulme and Mary of Teck shared a passion for collecting. Each of them amassed huge collections of gorgeous objects and did so with a distinct purpose in mind. Queen Mary, it is presumed, did so in order to preserve Britain’s history through the Royal Collection. Lord Leverhulme did so because he thought he could use the images to sell soap. And, they did just that for him. After all, who among us—either in the U.S. or U.K.—hasn’t used Lever Soap at one point in his or her lives?


This painting from 1875 by James Hayllar fit in with Leverhulme’s love of domestic scenes as well as his good marketing sense. Genre paintings such as this were quite the fashion in the late Nineteenth Century. They appealed to a mass market and elicited thoughts of happy, healthy families. Perfect to sell soap! And, an attractive piece of artwork. This, like many others, was retired from advertising use after a time and given to Leverhulme’s wife to add to her collection. It remains part of the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool. 

Sculpture of the Day: “Irish Peasant Woman” by Edward Onslow Ford, 1881

Irish Peasant Woman
Edward Onslow Ford, 1881
Bronze
Lady Lever Art Gallery
Liverpool

In the 1880’s art was finding a push toward realism. This was especially evident in the style of sculpture known as “New Sculpture.” One had to be careful, however. As an artist, it’s never a good idea to be too realistic when sculpting members of one’s own family.

Such was the case with sculptor Edward Onslow Ford who cast the bronze bust of an aged relative. He was quite proud of himself for showing the natural deterioration of old age. However, according to Ford’s daughter, the sitter “recoiled in horror” when she saw it for the first time.

The realistic trend didn’t last terribly long. Ford gave it up and focused on sculpting ideal busts of perfect young beauties. It’s just a pity that whomever this “Irish Peasant Woman” is, didn’t get the same treatment—at least for her sake.

Figure of the Day: A Chinese Incense Burner, Eighteenth Century

 

Incense Burner
Chinese
Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period
1736-1795
The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool



From the Chinese collection of the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool, England, comes this lovely porcelain incense burner. In the form of a rabbit atop a cloud, carrying a branch of fungus on its arched back, this vessel with its celadon glaze also features painted details in brown and sapphire blue.

The mouth and nostrils are ventilated, allowing for the smoke of the incense (which was burned inside of it) to escape and fill the air with fragrance. This object was created in the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Black Brunswicker, 1860

The Black Brunswicker
Sir John Everett Millais, 1860
The Lady Lever Art Gallery
Liverpool

Sir John Everett Millais was known for his emotionally-charged, theatrical and highly detailed paintings. He preferred to paint scenes which featured figures which would tempt the viewer to touch them because of the highly tactile nature of their clothing and radiant skin. This painting is no exception.


In the composition, we see a young lady being embraced by a soldier in a historical scene. The soldier represents a member of the special troop of highly-trained German soldiers of 1809 known as The Black Brunswickers whose motto “Glory or Death” became widely known. The Black Brunswickers wore death’s heads on their helmets to reinforce their grisly anthem. This regiment suffered tragic losses at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

For his subjects, Millais used Charles Dickens’ daughter, Kate, as the model for the girl, and a private in the Life Guards as the model for the soldier. At no point were the two ever in the same room. Each posed with a mannequin for preliminary studies.

Notice the folds of the woman’s dress. They invite the viewer to reach out and touch it to see if it is, in fact, real. Millais has included a figure of a dog to reinforce the humanity of the scene and has placed a reproduction of an engraving of Napoleon Crossing the Alps by J.L. David as a reminder of Waterloo.

Unusual Artifacts: A Sailor's Valentine

Sailor's Valentine
Shell and wood, 1850-60
The Merseyside Maritime Museum

Here’s a Valentine fit for Olive Oyl.  Traditionally sailors in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries made items like this while aboard ship to give as a gift to their sweethearts and loved ones upon their return home.

These men at sea—who had quite a bit of extra time on their calloused hands—created decorative geometric arrangements of shells within a wooden case which was usually square or octagonal.  Often these tokens included a sentimental  motto such as “forget me not.”

This unusual anchor-shaped example is thought to have been made by a Mr. T. Whelan while in the Caribbean, and dates from between 1840 - 1860.  During the Nineteenth Century, anchor shapes, along with hearts and cupids, were a symbol of love and fidelity.   It is part of the exhibition of Liverpool’s Merseyside Maritime Museum.  

Masterpiece of the Week: “And When Did You Last See Your Father?” by William Frederick Yeames, 1878

And When Did ou Last See Your Father
William Frederick Yeames, 1878
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

 

One of the most famous and beloved works in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, England, is William Frederick Yeames’ emotional 1878 painting, And When Did You Last See Your Father? The painting represents a fictional scene from The English Civil War wherein the country estate of a well-heeled Royalist family has been invaded by Parliamentarian forces. The authorities, believing in the honesty and innocence of children, question the smallest member of the household who is faced with the dilemma of having to lie or send his father to certain death.

A wax tableau of the painting in Madame Tussauds, London

Yeames, the son of the British ambassador to Russia, studied art in Italy and returned to England where he helped form an association of artists known as The St. John’s Wood Clique. Unlike many groups of artists, the members of The Saint John’s Wood Clique preferred traditional and upscale pursuits over a bohemian lifestyle. Yeames, like his companions, specialized in historical subjects and British themes. Yeames’ goal with this painting, as with most of his works, was to create what he called a “Problem Picture” wherein a paradox or difficult moral decision was posed to the viewer of the painting.And When Did You Last See Your Father? was instantly a social triumph, inspiring a popular song in 1890 and becoming the subject of a wax tableau which is still displayed at Madame Tussauds in London. 

Painting of the Day: “A Horse Frightened by a Lion,” George Stubbs, 1770

A Horse Frightened by a Lion
George Stubbs, 1770
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Eighteenth Century painter George Stubbs was celebrated for his equestrian portraits, but often desired to paint loftier subjects than horses. Still, his public expected horses from Stubbs, and horses he gave them. However, he found a way to incorporate the horses that his fans desired into grander paintings.

This canvas entitled, “A Horse Frightened by a Lion” was inspired by Stubbs’ 1755 trip to Rome where he spotted a fragment of an ancient sculpture in the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Stubbs’ has rendered the horse magnificently, which is not surprising. The lion, however, looks a little weak and drowsy—owing to the fact that he figure was painted with the only model being a lion skin. Regardless of the rather limp lion, it’s still a powerful painting.

Ancient Sculpture
Rome

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Jet of Iada, Liverpool’s Famous Rescue Dog

"Jet of Iada"
Edna Rose, 1946
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Since today is Veteran's Day, in the U.S., I thought we'd look at objects honoring the history of those who have served for their countries.

In light of that, I will be posting the "Treat of the Week," tomorrow.  And, to once again quote my beloved Hazel, "It's a doozy."  

Now, let's carry on.  I like this heroic doggy.

This bronze bust by Edna Rose from the collection of Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery shows the proud, smiling face of Jet of Iada. Jet was the brave black dog who rescued dozens of people during the Second World War. Jet, who attended “War Dog School” at the age of nine months, is forever remember as Liverpool’s bravest canine. A memorial to Jet was erected in Liverpoole’s Calderstone Park. The daughter of Jet’s owner, Lilias Ward, said, “It was a very very satisfying day, sad, but satisfying, because he was a special person.”

A very special person, indeed. Three cheers for Jet and long may he be remembered. To hear more about jet, visit the Walker Art Gallery’s Web site to hear portions of an interview with Lilias Ward.

Painting of the Day: “Miss Elizabeth Ingram,” Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1757

Miss Elizabeth Ingram
Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1757
The Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool

At first glance, this appears to be a typical Mid-Eighteenth Century painting. We have the sitter posed in a vaguely Classical background—as was the style of the day. Her intellectual and social status is made clear to us by the Greek-inspired column. Attired in her finest gown, she gazes out at the viewer in a gentle, yet resolute, manner.


However, on further inspection, we see what made Joshua Reynolds one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the era. Notice the details in her gown—the folds and sheen of the silk, the pinched rigidity of her stomacher. These are the qualities which set Reynolds’ work apart from his contemporaries.

Modern viewers—especially younger people who seem to enjoy being tan (or orange, in some cases), Miss Ingram will probably seem quite pale. While it’s true that a lady would not have had the leathery glow of our current “ideal beauty,” she wouldn’t have wanted to have quite such a pallid countenance either. Usually, Eighteenth Century ladies were painted with very rosy cheeks and skin. Thus was the case of Miss Ingram whose face and hands originally had a lovely pink-ish quality. Reynolds and his fellow artists of the Eighteenth Century often used pink pigments which proved to be unstable over time. Many portraits from this era feature pale subjects who were once quite healthy looking—having lost their natural blush to the fading of time. 

The Home Beautiful: The Honourable Society Punch Bowl, 1800

The Honourable Society Punch Bowl
Liverpool, 1800
The Victoria & Albert Museum

On Thursday, August 8, I'll be sharing this week's "Treat of the Week," a delectable dinner in honor of my father's birthday.  Today, let's begin the celebration with a cup of punch.

In the 1700s, the new hot drink known as “punch,” was the height of fashion, and fancy ways to serve the beverage were soon devised on a variety of social levels. Though punch first appeared in England around 1680, the drink steadily rose in popularity over a century, and by the 1800s no party was complete without it.

The first punchbowls were made of delftware (tin-glazed earthenware). Later, white or brown stoneware was the material of choice, replaced in a few decades with creamware and Pearlware (two types of light-colored pottery).

Heavy cut glass bowls were occasionally used, however, since the beverage was initially served hot, these proved to be unsuitable. By 1800, punch aficionados concluded that the ideal material for punch bowls was Chinese porcelain. However, that was a rather expensive proposition for most families. So, creamware remained the most popular choice.

Here, we see an enormous creamware bowl. It is, indeed, one of the largest earthenware examples to survive. Though we can’t be certain, the punch bowl has been attributed to the Herculaneum factory at Liverpool, which made large examples in both crearmware and stoneware.

The bowl’s decoration is something of a mystery. Clearly, the inscription of “THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY, PRO MATRIA,” has some political significance. Still, historians debate the allegiance of the group. Whig? Tory? One of the secret Jacobite clubs who supported the exiled Stuart pretenders to the throne? Men’s drinking clubs often had allegiances to specific groups. They would often keep their alliances private, leaving clues on objects such as this. Perhaps it was used by a group of men who were united by a similar profession.

Let’s look at it more closely. Inside is painted a seated cat. Outside are four detached prints representing Pyramus and Thisbe, lovers under a tree and a man with a cudgel coming up behind them, Narcissus gazing into a pool, and two lovers consisting of a man kneeling to a protesting woman.

We’ll never know, I suppose. Still, you can imagine a group of ruddy-faced early Nineteenth-Century Englishmen dipping their cups into this bowl and talking excitedly about something. I like to think they were just a group of drunk cat fanciers.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: 'Puck', Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (1856)

Puck
Harriet Hosmer, 1855
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

The mischievous sprite of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck, has inspired many an artist for centuries. This sculpture of “Puck” was sculptor Harriet Hosmer's most popular work. She created the first version of the subject between 1855 and 1856. This version was followed by about thirty marble replicas that were said to have brought the sculptor a profit of over 30,000 dollars.


One of these Pucks was purchased in 1859 by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). Here, we see that version. It was purchased from the family to whom King Edward VII had gifted the piece by the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool in 1976.

Hosmer was the pupil of John Gibson is remembered as the leading figure among an important group of American women sculptors working in Rome in the second half of the 19th century. The figure of Puck is an excellent example of the two facets of her talent—the playful and the classical.

Painting of the Day: “A Dress Rehearsal,” by Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1888

A Dress Rehearsal
Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1888
The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool

This is one of the many paintings based on the contemporary French naturalistic style which were collected by Lord Leverhulme to advertise his line of soaps. Once the paintings had been employed as images in his ads, Leverhulme brought the paintings home and gifted them to his wife. After her passing, the collection became the centerpiece of The Lady Lever Art Gallery.


Leverhulme used this scene by Albert Chevallier Tayler as an advertising image. He was drawn to this scene of a young bride modeling her wedding dress before her nuptials. Tayler, an artist from Cornwall, specialized in these sentimental domestic scenes and images of working class and pleasant families. This was just the sort of theme that Leverhulme wanted for his advertisements, and found much success with them.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Tragedy at the Colosseum Music-Hall, 1878

The Fatal Panic and Crush at the Colosseum Music-Hall, Liverpool in 1878
Sir Luke Fildes, 1878
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This print shows an illustration of the fatal panic and crush at the Colosseum Music-Hall, Liverpool in 1878.   It was published by The Illustrated London News in the same year.  Sir Luke Fildes, (KB, KCVO, RA, born 1844 - died 1927) served as the illustrator. 

The Colosseum Music Hall in Liverpool had been converted around 1850 from an octagonal-shaped Unitarian Chapel which had been built in 1791.  The structure was heavily altered to accommodate two auditoria, one for variety acts and one for straight theater.  The alterations to the building had been made poorly and hastily and, on October 11, 1878, part of the ceiling fell—crushing 37 people and injuring many others in the ensuring panic.

By 1879, the theatre—which had been closed since the tragedy—reopened after having undergone extensive repair and renovation.  Gone were the two auditoria—replaced with one which could hold 3000 people.  Sadly, the tragedy tainted the theatre and the new incarnation of the venue failed, closing and reopening again in 1880 as the Star Music Hall.  Since that time, the theatre has undergone many changes and been called by many different names.  By 1916 it had become a warehouse.  The structure was bombed during the Second World War and was, then, subsequently demolished.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: “The Fairytale,” by James Sant, 1845

The Fairytale
James Sant, 1845
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

A favorite painter of Queen Victoria’s, James Sant enjoyed painting landscapes, but was better known as a portrait painter. This member of the Royal Academy was welcomed into the most prominent homes in England, including the Royal residences, where his prestigious sitters were delighted by his beautiful canvases and marveled at his exceptional work ethic. The collections of many of England’s stately homes include portraits and landscapes painted by Sant.

Every so often, Sant combined his two loves—landscape and portraiture—into genre paintings, domestic scenes and historical or literary groups with strong compositions and delicately painted figures. He especially thrilled in painting mothers and children. One of his more famous paintings is a portrait of a mother and child in a allegorical composition entitled “The Fairytale.” 

Now housed in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, the painting is at once tranquil and tender as well as urgent and mysterious. On the surface, it is simply a scene of a mother telling her young child a fairytale, but look closer. This is a study of Victorian-era ideals. Examine the painting and see what it says to you. 

Click on the image below for a super big copy: