Lot Description

John William Godward, R.B.A. (British, 1861-1922)
A Pompeian Lady
signed and dated 'J.W. Godward 1891' (upper left)
oil on canvas
30¼ x 18¼ in. (76.8 x 46.3 cm.)

Provenance

with Messrs. Thomas McLean & Son, London, 1891.
with Messrs. Percy Polak Ltd., London, January, 1964.
with Harrods, London, April 1964.
Mrs. Rachel Cobden, London, August 1982.
with Richard Green, London.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 21 June 1983, lot 34.
M. Enghanayan.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 3 November 1993, lot 239.
John Reid, London.
The John Reid Collection; Christie's, London, 18 December 1998, lot 642.

Pre-Lot Text

THE PROPERTY OF AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK COLLECTOR

Literature

V. Swanson, John William Godward - The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, 1997, pp. 181-182, no. 1891/7, illustrated.

Exhibited

London, Thomas McLean & Son, 27th Annual Exhibition, 1891, no. 28.

Lot Notes

John William Godward was a master of classical subject paintings which are stylistically similar to the work of Victorian artists Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (see lot 45) and Frederick Lord Leighton. Godward depicted an idealized world of women and beauty, as exemplified by A Pompeian Lady. The artist's hallmarks are a meticulous rendering of details, a vibrant palette, and captivatingly beautiful female subjects, all elements which feature prominently in the present painting. Godward's sensuous works created over the course of what Vern Swanson deems a 'remarkably consistent career of almost forty years' continue to captivate viewers (op. cit., p. 30).

In A Pompeian Lady, as in many other paintings by Godward, narrative is secondary to both composition and a keen attention to detail. Here, a beautiful woman is depicted in full-length, lost in a moment of focused calm as she gracefully and languorously ties a sash around her waist. Behind this red-haired beauty rests a pair of lace-up leather sandals on the marble floor. This small and carefully-observed detail, combined with the presence of a draped tiger skin -- another prop often featured in paintings by Godward -- adds a richness to this imagined scene of Pompeian daily life. An impressive mastery of a variety of textures is on display here; the woman's rounded flesh and the softly draping fabric of her dress invite us into the otherwise stark, marble-clad room.

The viewer can almost feel the texture of the intricately-tiled mosaic floor; the naturalistic irregularity of the individual tiles stands in contrast to the smooth floor and walls, made up of variegated surfaces. Overhead, the moulding against the ceiling depicts a recurring pattern of women's feet modeled after the style of classical reliefs. The cool marble present in this scene parallels the overall calming stillness of the image.

'The mosaic floor and draped doorway was a compositional device often used by Tadema' in the late 1880's, and is adopted to great effect by Godward in A Pompeian Lady (op. cit., p. 30). In the background, the view through an open doorway hung with purple and gold patterned curtains offers a tantalizing glimpse into an interior courtyard and garden. The solid, vertical figure of the woman and the falling folds of her garment echo Roman architectural forms, emphasizing the classical setting of the work. This barely visible open-air space and the woman, so absorbed in the act of dressing or perhaps undressing, lend an air of mystery to the painting.

A Pompeian Lady was acquired directly from Godward's dealer, Thomas McLean & Son, who often sold works by Alma-Tadema and other 19th century Academic artists. It was later offered as one of the highlights of The John Reid Collection sale held at Christie's, London in 1998.