A Venetian Courtesan

Frederic William Burton

1873-74

Watercolour, gouache and pastel on paper

37 ⅝ x 27 inches (95.5 x 68.5 cm).

Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, accession no. NGI.2387

Photograph © National Gallery of Ireland.

Burton was working on this watercolour when he received Prime Minister Gladstone’s offer of the directorship of the National Gallery. After accepting the offer Burton virtually ceased his own artistic activities. This work was not exhibited in his lifetime, likely because he never finished it to his satisfaction, and it was still in his studio at the time of his death. It is highly reminiscent of the masters of the Venetian High Renaissance like Titian and Veronese as well as the works they inspired by Rossetti and his circle in the 1860s. The courtesan’s costume, her hairstyle, the background with its “bottle-glass” windows, and how she is portrayed with her arms resting on the parapet of a balcony all harken back to 16th century Renaissance painting.

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