Laura reading

Laura was a young woman for whom the poet Petrarch (1304-1374) nursed an unrequited passion. The story has obvious parallels with that of Dante and Beatrice, but it attracted far less attention from artists working in the romantic tradition. The origins of the present painting lie in a fancy-dress ball that was planned in 1884 to celebrate the re-organisation of the Institute of Painters in Watercolours and its move to new premises in Piccadilly. Charged with portraying the art and architecture of Italy, Crane decided to visualise the figures in terms of a triptych. In the central section, figures emblematic of Florence were placed against a view dominated by the campanile of the Palazzo Vecchio, while similar groups symbolising Venice and Rome were seen to either side. The masque was considered such a success that the Lord Mayor commanded a repeat performance at the Mansion House, and Henry Irving commissioned Crane to recast his tableau as an elaborate watercolour. Dated 1885-6 and exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in the latter year, this remained in Irving's possession until his death in 1905, when it was sold at Christie's. Crane reproduced it in his autobiography, and it is now in the City Art Gallery, Manchester. In the central, Florentine, section of the triptych, Laura and Petrarch are seen in the middle distance. A devoted husband, Crane depicted his wife as Laura.