Lot Essay
The Arundel Society, or The Society for Promoting the Knowledge of Art, was formed in 1848 by a group of notables and artists including John Ruskin. The societies aim was to disseminate knowledge of the art of the Renaissance through the production of chromolithographs - primarily of Trecento and Quattrocento Italian frescoes by the great masters. Thus hoping to inspire a new direction in artistic practices in Britain and to help develop a greater appreciation of the arts amongst the wider public. These views were shared by the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement, founded in the same year as the Arundel Society, and also championed by Ruskin.