Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

John William Godward
A Pompeian Lady

Dated 1904

About the Item

John William Godward 1861-1922 British A Pompeian Lady Signed and dated "J.W. Godward 1904" (lower right, partially covered by frame) Oil on canvas One of the last and greatest Victorian neoclassical painters, John William Godward is celebrated for his flawlessly executed images of graceful women posed in idealized ancient settings. In this work, entitled A Pompeian Lady, a classical beauty is caught idling in a moment of quiet, solitary reflection. Godward's elegant subjects are depicted with a degree of technical mastery that remains unsurpassed, and the work's dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristics of his unique take on the neoclassical style. Godward was unmatched in terms of his technical skill and attention to detail. A master of contrasting textures, he paints a diaphanous gown draping against the model’s smooth, milky white skin, which sits against the painstakingly rendered individual hairs of a tiger’s pel. Scintillating color permeates the canvas as well, energizing the otherwise static scene. Each element is given careful attention, and the overall effect is one of both immaculate technique and sensual tactility. Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian neoclassicist movement. He built his career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty infused with a Greco-Roman-inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century, when the present work was completed, due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire and the Victorian society’s preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world.” The sensuality and mystery of Godward’s maidens, combined with his impressive antique backdrops, was a direct reflection of this pervasive view. Godward debuted at London’s Royal Academy exhibition in 1887 at the age of only 26. Having fallen under the influence of British Neoclassical Revivalists Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Lord Frederic Leighton and Sir Edward John Poynter, Godward quickly adopted, if not rivaled, their style. He envisioned similar scenes of the ancient world, seamlessly blending antiquity and beauty in breathtaking compositions and attracting fans across Europe. In 1889, he was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists, and, ten years later, Godward debuted at the Paris Salon, where again he was heaped with critical praise. However, the 20th century brought rapid artistic change, and he was faced with the painful reality that the classical world he loved was being overshadowed by modern art movements. His devotion to the classics never waned, and he moved to Rome in 1912 to surround himself with the physical remnants of the classical world, where he stayed for the major part of his remaining career. Dated 1904 Canvas: 25“ diameter, (62.87 x 63.5 cm) Frame: 45 3/4” high x 44 3/8” wide (116.21 x 112.71 cm) Literature: J.W. Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, 2018, Vern Swanson, page 290, no.12 and illustrated Exhibitions: Thomas McLean Gallery, London, 1904 Provenance: Thomas McLean, art dealer, London, 1904 Purchased by Sir Alfred Bird, Tudor Grange Solihull Cooling Galleries, London and Toronto, Canada The collection of Maurice and Louella Brown, Toronto and Calgary, Canada By descent to Keith C. Brown and L. Joan Brown, Calgary, Alberta, 1982 Hodgin’s Art Auctions, Calgary Fred and Sherry Ross, New Vernon, New Jersey Sotheby’s, New York Private collection, New Orleans M.S. Rau, New Orleans
  • Creator:
    John William Godward (1861-1922, British)
  • Creation Year:
    Dated 1904
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 45.75 in (116.21 cm)Width: 44.38 in (112.73 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New Orleans, LA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 31-37391stDibs: LU1868534462
More From This SellerView All
  • Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco
    By Charles Zacharie Landelle
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco Signed (center right) Oil on canvas In this important oil on canvas, French Orientalist painter Charles Landelle captures the engaging visage of a young Moroccan woman in a moment of tranquil contemplation. Seated on the floor of what is almost certainly an opulent riad, the young woman wears an intricately embroidered Moroccan kaftan and headdress. The sumptuous patterns on the floor and in the background lend an additional warmth to the strikingly vivid red hues which dominate the composition and are a hallmark of Landelle’s work. The symbols behind the young woman may represent either the Jewish Star of David or the Islamic Seal...
    Category

    Late 19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Blackstone Cigars
    By Norman Rockwell
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    A charming relic of a bygone era, this rare oil is the work of the inimitable American illustrator, Norman Rockwell. The iconic artist’s ability to render the details and nuances of ...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • La lecture au jardin (Lesson in the Garden)
    By Georges d'Espagnat
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    French Post-Impressionist painter Georges d’Espagnat captures a charming moment between a mother and her child in this vibrant oil on canvas. Rendered with a studied use of complementary colors and bold brushstrokes, the painting showcases the artist's unique Post-Impressionist style. Remembered as one of the most individualistic artists of the 20th century, his distinctive canvases bring together the loose brushwork of the Impressionists and the bold color palette favored by the Fauves. Together, they achieve a vibrant spontaneity that lends itself well to the carefree subjects of the present work. Masterfully composed, La lecture au jardin moves beyond the Impressionist instinct to capture a fleeting moment on canvas. Rather, d'Espagnat succeeds in creating a deep feeling of harmony in the work. Warm colors are perfectly balanced with cool tones, while vertical and horizontal lines are softened by the curves of the foliage and his subjects' figures. Through his simplification of forms and intentional use of color and line, he creates a scene that is carefully designed and thoroughly modern. A similar view of a mother and her child by d'Espagnat is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). The Post-Impressionist painter was an individualist since his youth, choosing to forgo traditional schooling in order to independently study the Old Masters in the Louvre. He soon became involved with the most prominent Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters of the age, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Signac, who themselves existed outside the traditional norms of French Academic training. In 1891, he exhibited at the Salon des Refusés, and again the following year at the Salon des Indépendants. By 1895, he held his first one-man show in Paris, and just three years later his success earned him a solo show at the prestigious Durand-Ruel Gallery. Between 1905 and 1910 he made several trips to visit Renoir on the Côte d’Azur. Their close friendship resulted in a group exhibition at Marcel Bernheim...
    Category

    Late 19th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • L’air Qu’on Respire by Jean Pierre Cassigneul
    By Jean-Pierre Cassigneul
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    Jean-Pierre Cassigneul b.1935 French L’air qu’on respire (The Air We Breath) Signed “Cassigneul” (lower right) Signed, titled and dated "L’air qu’on respire / Cassigneul / 2001" (...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Santa
    By Leslie Thrasher
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    A Salvation Army Santa looks on with a mixture of fatigue and disinterest as a group of children tell him their Christmas gift wish lists in this lighthearted composition by leading American illustrator Leslie Thrasher. This painting was created for the December 20, 1930 issue of Liberty Magazine, for which the artist illustrated covers on a weekly basis for six consecutive years. Thrasher is known for his scenes of everyday American life imbued with a sense of humor, qualities represented to great effect in this charming painting. Born in 1889 in Piedmont, West Virginia, Thrasher studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as a teenager and received a scholarship to study art abroad in Paris. Upon his return, he began studying under Howard Pyle, known as the “father of American illustration.” Thrasher sold his first cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1912, four years before Norman Rockwell’s first Post cover, and he would go on to produce over 360 magazine covers throughout his career. He painted humorous, relatable scenes of everyday life in America with colorful characters set against white backgrounds. He was also a successful commercial artist, painting advertisements for Cream of Wheat, Chesterfield Cigarettes...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Egg Tapping On Easter Sunday By Hubert Ritzenhofen
    Located in New Orleans, LA
    Hubert Ritzenhofen 1879-1961 German Egg Tapping on Easter Sunday Signed and dated "H. Ritzenhofen 05" (lower right) Oil on canvas This grand domestic tableau was painted by estee...
    Category

    20th Century Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like
  • Portrait of my Young Daughter
    Located in Paris, FR
    Beautiful oil on canvas from the end of the 19th century figuring the portrait of a young woman. The painting is signed Y Pol on the bottom left . The artist in his performance perfe...
    Category

    19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Zeus and Ganymede - original painting by Paula Craioveanu oil on canvas
    By Paula Craioveanu
    Located in Forest Hills, NY
    "Zeus and Ganymede", oil and silver leaf on canvas, 39x39in / 100x100cm Inspired by the legend of Zeus and Ganymede. Shipped as it is, stretched, directly from the artist's studio.
    Category

    2010s Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Father and children in front of TV - Mid-Century
    By John Philip Falter
    Located in Miami, FL
    John Falter arranges figures and faces in a way that rival the old masters in their compositional perfection. And he makes it look easy. The expressions are captured so the emotion...
    Category

    1950s Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Blond Girl with Basket of Flowers "Rosemary's Playmate"
    By Francis Luis Mora
    Located in Miami, FL
    This is an almost lifesize portrait of a charming blond holding a basket of freshly picked flowers. The girl set against a verdant landscape with blue sky and cumulus clouds. The subject is the friend of the artist's daughter. 78 x 42in. framed. This joyful image of youth looks better in person due to its impressive size and clearly will be a statement piece in any home. Francis Luis Mora ( ( Uruguayan / American, 1874-1940) Studied under Edmund Charles Tarbell...
    Category

    1910s Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas

  • Men & Motorcycles, Mark Beard: Academic Figurative Painting of Four Male Models
    By Mark Beard
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Academic style figurative painting of four male motorcycle riders by Mark Beard aka "Bruce Sargeant" "Men and Motorcycles", painted in the early 2000's for Abercrombie and Fitch's flagship store in Milan, Italy 83 x 88.75 inches unframed, 88.5 x 94.25 inches with a simple black painted wood frame Signed "Bruce Sargeant", upper right Good condition based on scale, size, and age (see condition notes below) This figurative painting of four young men on a motorcycle joyride was made by Mark Beard under his fictitious artistic persona, Bruce Sargeant. Painted in a modern Academic style, the handsome athletic men...
    Category

    Early 2000s Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Boy in Suit: Academic Figurative Painting by Mark Beard aka. Bruce Sargeant
    By Mark Beard
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Academic style figurative painting of two men in trousers and suits with naval flags by Mark Beard aka "Bruce Sargeant" "Boy in Suit", painted in the late ...
    Category

    Early 2000s Academic Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All