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Lot Essay
With violets wreathed and robe of saffron hue shows Godward working at the height of his power, demonstrating the technical accomplishment and serene sensuality that are the hallmarks of his work. Godward was one of the finest exemplars of the neo-classical tradition at the turn of the century, when the modernist initiative saw the wane of this narrative form following its universal popularity for over five hundred years. Like his predecessors Alma-Tadema and Frederic, Lord Leighton, Godward contributed to the Royal Academy regularly, exhibiting in London until 1903 and abroad from 1905.
With violets wreathed and robe of saffron hue demonstrates Godward's skill through the naturalistic rendering of a wide variety of textures such as fabric, marble and flesh. Indeed, it is the very tangibility of the floating lily pads, soft fur and smooth cool stone that led Professor Vern Swanson to praise this as a work 'in which all the stops have been pulled. There is no demure sedateness here, only the artist blinding with his virtuosity'. The artist clothes the model in his favourite colour combination of purple and yellow, only serving to enhance the comparison to Ionian Dancing Girl (fig.1), which was exhibited at the New Gallery in 1902 and features on the cover of Professor Swanson's catalogue raisonnée.
The ancient Greeks considered the violet a symbol of fertility and love; they often used it in love potions and Pliny recommended that a garland of violets be worn about the head to ward off headaches and dizzy spells. The present model sits informally in a relaxed pose and gazes dreamily into the distance, perhaps substantiating the emblem of love that adorns her hair.
This picture has also been known as Reflections, an allusion to both the light on the pond surface and the sitter's contemplation.
We are grateful to Professor Vern Swanson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
With violets wreathed and robe of saffron hue demonstrates Godward's skill through the naturalistic rendering of a wide variety of textures such as fabric, marble and flesh. Indeed, it is the very tangibility of the floating lily pads, soft fur and smooth cool stone that led Professor Vern Swanson to praise this as a work 'in which all the stops have been pulled. There is no demure sedateness here, only the artist blinding with his virtuosity'. The artist clothes the model in his favourite colour combination of purple and yellow, only serving to enhance the comparison to Ionian Dancing Girl (fig.1), which was exhibited at the New Gallery in 1902 and features on the cover of Professor Swanson's catalogue raisonnée.
The ancient Greeks considered the violet a symbol of fertility and love; they often used it in love potions and Pliny recommended that a garland of violets be worn about the head to ward off headaches and dizzy spells. The present model sits informally in a relaxed pose and gazes dreamily into the distance, perhaps substantiating the emblem of love that adorns her hair.
This picture has also been known as Reflections, an allusion to both the light on the pond surface and the sitter's contemplation.
We are grateful to Professor Vern Swanson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.