Portrait of William De Morgan

This is the earlier of two portraits of William De Morgan, painted by his wife Evelyn. According to the signature at the top right of the work, it was painted in Florence, in 1893. In the painting, William is depicted in his blue artists’ robes against a tiled wall. He stares solemnly at the viewer. It is a formal portrait and shows little of his personality, particularly the humour and charm with which he imbued much of his own work.