UNTIL quite recently, Cimabue's Madonna Carried in Procession through the Streets of Florence (1853-55) hung on a wall above the National Gallery main entrance stairs. Many visitors probably passed beneath without noticing it. The same holds true of the position that its creator Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-96) holds in the British art world of today: central to its history, yet largely ignored.
Nobody overlooked him in his 19th-century heyday. When Cimabue's Madonna was viewed at the Royal Academy (RA) in 1855, the Art Journal described it as 'the one picture in the collection that will mark this year... as an epoch in British Art'. Queen Victoria purchased it for 600 guineas and Leighton eventually became one of the most fashionable artists of her reign. Of sufficient means not to depend entirely on selling canvases, he produced technically excellent, opulently staged historical and mythological works and moved with ease among the aristocracy. His studio house in London's Holland Park, Kensington, W14 (now Leighton House museum), became a palace of art notable for its Moorish décor. President of the RA from 1878, he was made a baronet in 1886, elevated to the peerage one day before his death (as Lord Leighton, Baron of Stretton, he is the only British artist so honoured) and given a funeral in St Paul's.
It's not difficult to see why his monumental paintings, with their polish and obscure classical references, are less admired today. He was a contemporary of Manet and Degas by the time of Leighton's death, Gauguin had already sailed for the South Seas and Picasso's Blue Period was five years ahead -yet he appears to be from a different age.
Denne historien er fra March 22, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 22, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
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The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
