THE PRE-RAPHAELITES ON PAPER...

For all who love the splendour and sumptuous decor of the Victorian age ~ owned by those who were wealthy, anyway ~ a visit to Leighton's House in Kensington and Chelsea is an absolute must.

The house (which very much inspired a fictional one belonging to an artist in my novel, Elijah's Mermaid) is full of many glories, from the stunning exotic entrance hall to the formally structured dining room, and then the enormous studio that Leighton used to create his work ~ and everywhere examples of the work that he created there, along with art by those who he admired and collected.



Even so, what always strikes me is the fact that the bedroom Leighton used whenever he was working here was so small and very plain by comparison to the rest of the house. But the bedroom was a reclusive space. The rest of the house is and was a showroom, or a 'palace of art'. And now, in this grand environment there is a new exhibition of over 100 sketches and drawings featuring Victorian artists from the private Lanigan Collection.

The exhibition is varied in style ~ from portraits, and landscapes, to religious and literary scenes, with highlights being work from Burne-Jones, Millais, Rossetti, Holman Hunt, Poynter, William Morris, Lizzie Siddall, and Frederick Leighton too.

The VV can't wait to visit.

Pre-Raphaelites on Paper is on show at Leighton House Museum from 12 February ~ 29 May 2016.



For a related post ~ THE VIRTUAL VICTORIAN: VICTORIAN NYMPHS AND MERMAIDS...