Arthur Hughes (1832-1915)
| Artist Name | Arthur Hughes (1832-1915) |
|---|---|
| Title | The Convent Boat |
| Description | This stunning British Victorian Pre-Raphaelite oil painting is by noted artist Arthur Hughes. It was painted circa 1880 and has extensive provenance. The composition is of a novice nun leaving her family to cross a river, in the Convent Boat, to go to her new life in cloisters on the other side. The fact that the artist returned to the subject several times confirms his fondness for the composition. The painting shows the emotional moment in which a young novice leaves her family for the convent. The ramifications of her decision are laid bare for the viewer. Dressed as a bride of Christ, the novice's austere clothing contrasts with the sumptuous garb of those standing on the river bank. While her family lament her departure, she holds a prayer book and looks away solemnly, appearing resolute in her choice. Soft evening light descends over the trees and reflects serenely across the water. The convent walls, overgrown with dense ivy, suggest the institution's agedness, connecting it with England's spiritual heritage. This is a superb painting with wonderful detail and colouring, telling the story of a young woman's turning point in life. It is also an excellent example of Hughes immense skill as a Pre-Raphaelite Victorian artist. Signed lower left. |
| Provenance | Mrs. Ann Fleming by1963 Sale Christie's, 25 March 1966, lot 145, as 'The last Farewell' (70gns) Naylor Leyland. Sale, Sotheby's, 26 July 1967, lot 361 (£160) David W. Hughes. Sale, Sotheby's, 30 October 1968, lot 118 (£190) Colson. Sale, Sotheby's Belgravia, 22 February 1972, lot 109 (£650) The Fine Art Society Michael Hasenclever. Galerie R. Hartmann by November 1973. Sale, Sotheby's Belgravia, 9 April 1980, lot 17 (£11,000) Private collection, UK Exhibited: London,The Aesthetic Movement and the Cult of Japan , The Fine Art Society, 3-27 October 1972 (no.24, repr. p.14) Munich, Burne-Jones und der Einfluß der Prä-Raffaeliten, Michael Hasenclever, 29 November 1972 -10 January 1973 (No.11, DM16,500, repr.) Baden-Baden, Germany, Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden 1973 (No.84, repr. colour, p.147) Literature: M. Amory, ed. The Letters of Evelyn Waugh, 1980, p.607. L. Roberts and S. Wildman, Arthur Hughes: His Life and Works, A Catalogue Raisonné, Woodbridge Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, no.131.3. ill., p.184 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 28 x 17 inches |
| Frame | House in a fine gilt frame with oak slip and ornate corners. Framed size is 36 inches by 25 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Arthur Hughes (27 January 1832- 22 December 1915) was an English painter and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Hughes was born in London. In 1846 he entered the art school at Somerset House, his first master being Alfred Stevens, and later entered the Royal Academy schools. It was here, after reading a copy of The Germ, that he met John Everett Millais, Holman Hunt, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, although he never became an official member of the Pre-Raphaelite group of painters. His first picture, Musidora, was hung at the Royal Academy when he was only 17, and thenceforth he contributed almost annually not only to the Royal Academy but later also to the Grosvenor and New Gallery exhibitions. After having his painting Ophelia hung near Millais' version of the same name, they became friends and Hughes served as the model for the male figure in The Proscribed Royalist. In 1855 Hughes married Tryphena Foord, his model for April Love. They had five children of whom one, Arthur Foord Hughes, also became a painter. Hughes died in Kew Green, London in 1915, leaving about 700 known paintings and drawings, along with over 750 book illustrations. Following the death of Tryphena Hughes in 1921, their daughter Emily had to move to a smaller house. There was, therefore, a shortage of space. As a result, she had her father's remaining preparatory sketches, and all his private papers and correspondence, destroyed. He was the uncle of Edward Robert Hughes. His best-known paintings are April Love and The Long Engagement, both of which depict troubled couples contemplating the transience of love and beauty. They were inspired by John Everett Millais's earlier "couple" paintings but place far greater emphasis on the pathos of human inability to maintain the freshness of youthful feeling in comparison to the regenerative power of nature. April Love was purchased from Hughes by William Morris. Like Millais, Hughes also painted Ophelia (which is housed at Toledo Museum of Art) and illustrated Keats's poem The Eve of St. Agnes. Hughes's version of the latter is in the form of a secular triptych, a technique he repeated for scenes from Shakespeare's As You Like It. His works are noted for their magical, glowing colouring and delicate draughtsmanship. The oil portrait Springtide, first exhibited in Dublin in 1855, features his wife Tryphena. In 1857 Hughes was persuaded by Dante Gabriel Rossetti to join with the group of young artists who were to head to Oxford to paint the walls of the newly-finished debating chamber of the Oxford Union Society. Rossetti had chosen the Legend of King Arthur as the theme of frescoes and Hughes was delegated to paint a panel depicting The Death of Arthur. Unfortunately the walls were not properly prepared for the paintings and they soon deteriorated and now only the barest outlines remain of the works. |
| Price | £44000 |
