Portrait of Edward Fulliger, seated

Originally an architect, Boyce was encouraged to take up watercolour by David Cox (1783-1859), whom he met whilst visiting North Wales. He was an acquaintance and avid collector of works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896), and a good friend of John Ruskin (1819-1900), who advised him on subject matter and technique. He primarily studied landscapes and buildings, but the present drawing displays his thorough understanding of the fluidity and attention to detail of the figurative work of his Pre-Raphaelite associates.