John William Godward, R.B.A. (1861-1922)
John William Godward, R.B.A. (1861-1922)

A mouse in the work basket

Details
John William Godward, R.B.A. (1861-1922)
A mouse in the work basket
signed and dated 'J.W. GODWARD. 1893' (lower left)
oil on canvas
25 ¼ x 10 in. (64 x 25.4 cm.)
Provenance
with Thomas McLean, London, by 1894.
Acquired by the grandfather of the present owner in the 1960's, and by descent.
Literature
V. Swanson, John William Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, 1997, p. 188, no. 1.
Exhibited
London, Thomas McLean, 30th Annual Exhibition, 1894, no. 8.

Brought to you by

Clare Keiller
Clare Keiller

Lot Essay

1893 marked the beginning of Godward’s success as a classical artist. This early work is an unusual subject for him but incorporates many attributes of his later, better-known paintings. The marriage of his brushwork to his extraordinary palette of colours results in a range of textures - the cold and smooth marble contrasting with the soft and ephemeral fabric of the model's pink tunic and the luxurious tiger skin.

Godward seldom painted a high-degree of motion in his paintings and when he did so it was mostly during his earlier years. A little mouse has been discovered by the young maiden dressed in pink, hiding in the sewing basket and has caused all the commotion. She has jumped on a tiger skin draped over a wooden chair for safety. The basket has flipped over and its contents strewn around as the mouse scurries away. A painted picture can be seen on the marble wall behind which reveals a tree wound with the coils of a snake. The wall has a marble niche where a bronze of the goddess Venus holding a mirror observing herself. This variant of the Venus of Arles is often found in Godward’s paintings, but this is the first known example.

We are grateful to Dr Vern Swanson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.

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