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Clymene - John William Godward - Canvas Wall Art suits both traditional and modern interiors. As a fine art oil painting, it works as a standalone focal point or as part of a home office gallery wall, and unlike a print it is genuinely hand painted in oils.
1892
Oil on canvas
Private collection.
The name Clymene appears in a number of classical texts from Hesiod to Ovid to Virgil, sometimes referring to an Amazon or sea nymph, or the daughter of Oceanus and mother of Atlas and Prometheus. For Godward, she is a classical heroine whose beauty challenged that of Helen of Troy – for whom she was a servant in Homer’s Iliad.
The present work is painted with Godward’s controlled, confident technique and as a study for his Royal Academy submission of 1891, Clymené (1891, unlocated), one of his first oil paintings to be admired and remarked upon by the press. In the present work, the artist has not yet included some of the details of the finished painting such as the bas-relief of a Dionysian procession and the mosaic floor in order to focus on the radiant splendor of the female figure, leaning against a high, marble veranda and holding a peacock fan (the first of Godward’s paintings to include one). Her direct gaze immediately engages the viewer while her languorous pose allows further appreciation of the scene. By placing the fan beside her head, Godward invites a tactile comparison between the feathers, her hair, soft skin, cold marble and draped gown – an early indicator of his technical mastery of rendering volume and texture.
The model for Clymene is possibly Lily Pettigrew, one of the famous "sisters Pettigrew" (Harriet, Lillian and Rose) who were known as the leading artist’s models at the time. During their careers, they posed for John Everett Millais, James McNeil Whistler, John Singer Sargent and Edward John Poynter, among other important artists, their features becoming synonymous with the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. According to the eldest sister, Rose, Lily was the most beautiful of the three girls and wrote: “My sister Lily was lovely… She had [the] most beautiful curly red gold hair, violet eyes, a beautiful mouth, classic nose and beautifully shaped face, long neck, well set, and a most exquisite figure; in fact, she was perfection” (as quoted in Swanson, p. 27).
The present work's date of 92 likely refers to the year it was given as a gift to E. P. Scoones. This dedication is helpful in further understanding Godward's biography. Scoones was a Westminster, London insurance clerk secretary and auditor — the same trade of Godward's father and brothers. Given this, Scoones and Godward may have been childhood friends.
Every hand painted oil painting in this fine art series is finished on artist-grade canvas and checked against the original before it leaves the studio.
Oil on canvas remains the reference standard for traditional reproductions. Our artists apply pigment by hand, blending the fine art tones directly on the surface for depth that a printed fine art oil painting simply cannot match.
traditional canvas wall art is one of the easiest ways to warm a home office. Pair this piece with natural linen, dark wood, or brushed brass, and let the hand painted surface do the rest.
Browse our John William Godward Paintings selection for related fine art canvases, or commission this fine art image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $87.98 |
| 24 X 36 in | $134.48 |
| 30 X 40 in | $185.98 |
| 36 X 48 in | $238.48 |
| 48 X 72 in | $481.48 |
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.
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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.
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