Preparing for the Bath by John William Godward

Preparing for the Bath - John William Godward - Oil Painting Wall Decor

Product Overview

Looking for fine art oil painting with real brushwork? Preparing for the Bath is reproduced by hand in oils on artist-grade canvas after John William Godward. The result is a piece of heritage oil painting wall decor that anchors a home office and rewards a closer look.

Composition & Subject

1900
Oil on canvas
63 1/2 x 30 1/2 in. (161 x 77 cm)

John William Godward’s large-scale and sensual painting, Preparing for the Bath, was painted only a year after Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s celebrated Thermae Antoninianae (fig. 1, 1899, Collection of Lord Lloyd Webber), depicting the Roman baths of the Emperor Caracalla. The subject of the bathhouse held an obvious attraction for Alma-Tadema, who used them as the setting for some of his most carnal paintings, including In the Tepidarium (1881, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight), The Frigidarium (1890, Private Collection) and A Favourite Custom (1909, Tate Britain, London). Similarly, Godward found such settings irresistible, as they allowed him to indulge his passion for Greco-Roman architecture and decoration, as well as erotically-charged depictions of the female figure.

The present work depicts a scene similar to Venus Binding her Hair (1897, Private Collection) in which a disrobed model in profile is seen wrapping a ribbon around her head. A sketch for Preparing for the Bath suggests that Godward had initially intended to depict this model in the nude, but he later added the diaphanous gown which is tied and draped, caressing her body. As Vern Swanson describes: “One of Godward’s most impressive oils… She pays no mind to anything but her task of primping for the fast approaching lover’s tryst. We see in the drapery that Godward has fully painted the nude form of the woman, then sensitively added what he was best at, the subliminal bluish coa vestis tunic” (Swanson, p. 63). Godward also highlights his appreciation and knowledge of Antique architecture. The excavation of Pompeii in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries captivated the popular imagination, and Godward has emblazoned his model against a red ground that would be typical of the walls in a Pompeiian villa. The arched recesses used as shelves for the bather’s clothes and possessions are divided by telamones sculpted in porphyry into the figures of Atlas supporting the universe on his shoulders, referencing those in the tepidarium at the thermae in Pompeii.

This canvas is among Godward’s most ambitious in scale, joining a group from this period that includes Campaspe (1896, sold, Sotheby’s London, December 14, 2006, lot 127), Circe (1898, unlocated), The Delphic Oracle (1899, Private Collection) and Venus at the Bath (1901, Private Collection). In the same period, he also exploited the erotic suggestion of pale skin just visible through transparent tunica, in pictures such as Julia (1914, sold in these rooms, May 24, 2017, lot 8), The New Perfume (1914, Private Collection) and Mischief and Repose (1895, J. Paul Getty Museum of Art, Malibu), which also includes the expertly rendered tigerskin. It is likely that Preparing for the Bath depicts Ethel Maud Warwick, a professional model who posed for Godward around the turn of the century (fig. 2). Ethel was a student of painting and acting who funded her studies by posing for artists, including Herbert Draper, Philip Wilson Steer, and James McNeill Whistler, before becoming a stage actress in 1900.

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.

Materials & Craftsmanship

We use a 100% hand-painted process: stretched artist-grade canvas, layered oil pigment, and a final protective varnish. There are no inkjet prints or mechanical reproductions in this collection — just a painted fine art artwork made to order.

Specifications & What You Receive

• 100% hand-painted oil painting on artist-grade canvas — never a print or digital reproduction.
• Supplied with a 2-inch blank border on all four sides for flexible home office display options.
• No middlemen — we ship directly to you worldwide.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 40 in, 24 X 48 in, 30 X 60 in, 36 X 72 in.
• Choose from standard sizes or request a custom dimension to fit your wall.
• Multiple low-cost carriers available, including DHL, UPS, FedEx and USPS.
• No-cost gallery stretching on wood bars, plus optional made-to-order framing.
• A digital photo of your finished painting is emailed for approval before shipment.

Wall Decor & Gifting

Build a home office gallery wall around this fine art oil painting, or let it stand alone as a single statement. The hand painted canvas finish keeps the fine art composition looking intentional in both classic and contemporary rooms.

Shipping & Guarantee

Whether the search term is fine art oil painting, office wall decor, or heritage oil painting wall decor, this hand painted canvas delivers the same thing: a real painted surface, made to your chosen dimensions.