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Lot Essay
This is an early work by the renowned neo-classicist John William Godward. Inspired by his predecessors Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederic, Lord Leighton, his vision of a serene world featuring models within ornate interiors or against Mediterranean landscapes is singular and instantly recognisable.
In the last decade of the 19th Century Godward's compositions were often full of detail; in the 20th he pared them down and used bolder primary colours. This charming portrayal of a girl reclining on a marble bench compares to many contemporary images in which the figure cuts a horizontal axis through the picture. It is most strikingly similar to The sweet siesta of a summer day (1890; see V. Swanson, J.W.Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, 1997, p. 41) in which the same girl is seen inverted, with her head to the right and her elbow propped on a pink cushion. She forms the centrepiece of a lush interior and is attended by a companion who plays pipes. A Siesta was perhaps begun at an earlier date, and the artist subsequently decided to adapt the successful pose for a new composition.
We are grateful to Professor Vern Swanson for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
In the last decade of the 19th Century Godward's compositions were often full of detail; in the 20th he pared them down and used bolder primary colours. This charming portrayal of a girl reclining on a marble bench compares to many contemporary images in which the figure cuts a horizontal axis through the picture. It is most strikingly similar to The sweet siesta of a summer day (1890; see V. Swanson, J.W.Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, 1997, p. 41) in which the same girl is seen inverted, with her head to the right and her elbow propped on a pink cushion. She forms the centrepiece of a lush interior and is attended by a companion who plays pipes. A Siesta was perhaps begun at an earlier date, and the artist subsequently decided to adapt the successful pose for a new composition.
We are grateful to Professor Vern Swanson for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.