Free shipping on orders over $60$5 flat rate under $604 items: 10% off · 8 items: 20% off
You save $109.97
Free shipping over $60 · 30-day returns · Dispatched in 1–2 business days
A Fair Reflection by John William Godward is one of those images that never dates. Our studio recreates it as a hand painted oil painting — textured, color-rich, and ready to hang as canvas wall art in a bedroom, study, or reception area.
1915
Oil on canvas
46 x 31 1/2 in. (116.8 x 80 cm)
Private Collection, United States.
nrecorded until now, A Fair Reflection marks an important discovery in the output of John William Godward as it is undoubtedly the most significant painting undertaken by the artist in 1915, and among the most ambitious from the period he spent in Italy. This large scale oil is singular in size within Godward's oeuvre and, unlike most of the paintings from this period, A Fair Reflection did not return to London to be exhibited and sold. Instead, it remained in Italy, likely in the artist's studio, until it was acquired by an American collector in the 1940s.
Perhaps because it remained on the Continent, the work was never inscribed with one of Godward's characteristic titles as nearly all of the paintings from his Roman period were. Titles such as Memories, Contemplation or Expectation, infuse Godward's somewhat detached models with narrative, as his work is essentially without dramatic charge and consciously devoid of any suggestion of movement or emotion. While the title of the present work is not original, it is an apt choice as A Fair Reflection relates to a 1899 canvas of the artist's model gazing at herself in a mirror. More accomplished and perhaps more aware of his virtuosity, Godward chooses to show the glass side of the mirror and reflects the marble in it, a knowing nod to his reputation as "the master of marble." Additionally, Godward has reflected the marble onto itself, as seen in the support of the table reflecting the wall behind it, an impressive backdrop of variegated stone that provides a showcase for Godward's unrivalled ability to paint textures.
This recent rediscovery adds a masterpiece to the known oeuvre of Godward's classically styled beauties. He painted numerous three-quarter length portraits, but few are as resolved as A Fair Reflection. The model is dressed in a grass green colored stola (the feminine form of the ancient Roman toga), drawn tightly at the waist with a palla (Roman shawl) of a deep wine color, and tied with an exquisitely-painted patterned yellow ribbon. Her hair is twisted into a long cascading braid, which she is arranging on top of her head using the golden hairpins that rest on the marble surface in front of her. The sitter was Godward's favorite model, an Italian woman who some scholars suggest may have been his mistress. The artist had left London in 1911 to take up residence in a studio at the Villa Strohl Fern in Rome and, according to Godward family lore: "He left in a rush, running off with his Italian model to Italy... His mother never forgave him for this breach of conduct. He shocked the family by living with his model" (Vern Swanson, John William Godward, The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1997, p. 96). In this painting, his affection for her is immediately evident as he has elevated her to the status of a goddess.
The composition also displays many of the hallmarks of the aesthetics of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and the Victorian interest in the revival of classicism and ancient Rome, prevalent at the beginning of the twentieth century, which promoted the importance of formal and sensual qualities over visual narrative. Despite the influences that Godward no doubt absorbed, his art had a distinctive style of his own. His vision of the Antique age was of a golden utopia, a world of marble terraces by the ocean where the sun is warm enough to persuade his earthly goddesses to eschew labor while surrounded by flowers and azure sea.
This painting will be exhibited in a loaned frame, specially created for this painting. Godward favored classically-derived frames such as this tabernacle style frame. The tabernacle style frame originated during the Renaissance and evolved over the centuries, never disappearing entirely, until it became especially popular again in the 19th century. British painters such as Frederic Lord Leighton and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema often chose, and even designed, tabernacle style frames for their paintings. Godward was a protégé of Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) and it is likely that his frame choices were a part of that legacy.
The bottom of the frame employs a simple shallow base featuring a classical egg-and-dart motif; next a pair of fluted pilasters extends up each side and they are in turn crowned by capitals of the Ionic order. The entire structure is surmounted by a pediment that is topped with classical ornaments including a dentil molding, egg and dart pattern, and a frieze adorned with a foliate pattern.
Our artists reproduce this fine art composition in oil on canvas by hand, preserving the tonal range that makes fine art oil painting so sought after for a bedroom.
This is a genuine hand painted oil painting, not a canvas print. Our painters match the palette of A Fair Reflection by eye and build up the fine art forms in thin layers, which is what gives the finished fine art oil painting its luminosity.
Hang this fine art oil painting above a sofa, console, or bed to give a bedroom an instant focal point. Its timeless palette works with both minimalist and period interiors, and the piece also makes a considered gift for housewarmings, weddings, and art lovers.
Order A Fair Reflection as a hand painted oil painting on canvas and add lasting timeless character to your bedroom. Custom sizes, a digital proof before dispatch, and secure worldwide shipping are included.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $109.98 |
| 24 X 36 in | $167.98 |
| 30 X 40 in | $216.48 |
| 36 X 48 in | $292.98 |
| 48 X 72 in | $554.98 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
Free on orders over $60; a flat $5 below that. Dispatched in 1–2 business days; 30 days to send it back. Full policy.
Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
