Loading
Portrait of a Lady, probably Anne Simms Reeve of Brancaster Hall, Norfolk
Frederick Sandys1860
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Ann Arbor, United States
Details
- Title: Portrait of a Lady, probably Anne Simms Reeve of Brancaster Hall, Norfolk
- Creator: Frederick Sandys
- Creator Lifespan: 1829/1904
- Creator Nationality: British
- Creator Gender: male
- Creator Death Place: London, England
- Creator Birth Place: Norwich, England
- Date Created: 1860
- Location: United Kingdom
- Physical Dimensions: w58.42 x h68.58 x d5.08 cm (framed)
- Label Copy: This striking painting, which features a woman bedecked in yellow satin, black velvet, pearls, and gold against a dark maroon background, is an outstanding example of mid-Victorian portraiture. While there is much evidence to suggest that the sitter is Anne Reeve (née Browne) of Brancaster Hall, Norfolk, her exact identity is still open to question; in any case, the sitter’s attire and accessories are signs of a person of high social standing. Like many of the Pre-Raphaelite artists with whom he associated, Sandys had an affinity for fifteenth- and sixteenth-century German and Flemish art because of its painstaking attention to detail, crisp delineation of forms, and enamel-like surface. Here he paints on a wood panel, which, when properly prepared before painting, provides a seamless surface that allows for the kind of precision not possible with paintings on canvas. Sandys captures the woman’s likeness in meticulous detail, from her high forehead, hazel eyes, and elongated neck to her long lashes and the light wave in her hair. Such attention to detail can also be seen in the treatment of the exotic oleander plants—imported from the Mediterranean—and the gothic-inspired ornamental textile in the background.
- Type: Painting
- External Link: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-1.158/1987_1.158.JPG?lasttype=boolean;lastview=thumbnail;resnum=1;sel9=ic_exact;size=20;sort=relevance;start=1;subview=detail;view=entry;rgn1=musart_an;select1=ic_exact;q1=1987%2F1.158
- Medium: oil on panel
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
