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From the first sketch to the final varnish, Dorilla is made by hand. Based on John William Godward's original. This timeless oil painting wall decor is crafted on artist-grade canvas for anyone who wants fine art oil painting with the character of an original.
1913
Oil on canvas
Dorilla was unlocated at the time of the publication of Vern Swanson’s catalogue raisonnée on John William Godward. However it was listed as having been painted before 1914 when it was with Godward’s London agent Eugène Cremetti, a fact proved by the date of 1913 painted on the reverse of the canvas.
The format of painting, the head and shoulders of a beautiful model dressed in a toga, seen in profile against a background of marble, had been one which Godward had adopted since at least the late 1880s and can be seen in Japonica of c.1887 and A Beauty in Profile of c.1888. Throughout the 1890s he had painted profiles of the famous artists’ models, the Pettigrew sisters and the actress Ethel Warwick in pictures with evocative titles such as Reverie and Memories. Around 1900 Godward increasingly gave his studies of beautiful girls exotic titles taken from a compendium of classical names, such as Corinna, Bellezza Pompeiana and Chloris. These paintings were not literal depictions of the classical women named in the titles, the names were merely intended to complement the ancient glamour of the pictures.
Dorilla was painted in 1913 while Godward was staying in Rome at the Villa Strohl-Fern, in one of the artist’s studios in the gardens of the Villa Borghese. Godward had been at the Villa since 1912, and although an outsider among the colony of Italian artists who made their home on the side of Monte Parioli, he worked industriously at his series of paintings of luscious young women in pagan garb. Surrounded by the woodlands of pine and cedar and enclosed by the high walls of the villa, Godward found seclusion and amongst the classical sculpture collected by the Alsatian-born Alfred Wilhelm Strohl-Fern, he found inspiration. There was no shortage of beautiful female models willing to drape themselves in togas, their hair bound up in a bandeaux and their ears burdened by jewellery of ancient design. The artist Sir William Russell Flint described a visit to Godward’s studio in the winter of 1912 ‘[Godward] had one of the finest studios in the Villa Strohl-Fern grounds. It had a wonderful outlook, and among its decorations was a horse’s skull locally supposed to be that of Strohl-Fern himself ‘when young’. The likeness was remarkable.’ (Vern G. Swanson, J. W. Godward, The Eclipse of Classicism, 1997, pg. 100)
This was a time of success for the often troubled Godward, who was awarded a gold medal at the Rome International exhibition of 1913 for his picture The Belvedere.
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 dining room.
This is a genuine hand painted oil painting, not a canvas print. Our painters match the palette of Dorilla 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 dining room 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.
| 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.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
