Non Angli, sed Angeli. Keeley Halswelle ARSA, RI 1832-1891. Exhibited in 1877, and now at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where it can be better seen in colour on their website (see bibliography). 161.2 x 252.9 cm. As James Dafforne explains, the engraving does not do justice to "the beautiful expression the painter has given to the faces of the children, who are lying, almost naked and quite uncared for, in one of the streets of Rome" (104).
The title comes from the well-known remark attributed to Gregory the Great, who, apparently, was much taken with the beauty of some English children being offered for sale on the streets of Rome. Dafforne sees the picture as a new departure for Halswelle, because one of the children is entirely naked — which makes that child, he says, "the main point in the composition, and therefore that to which the spectator's notice is most obviously drawn, instead of being absorbed, as usual, by the brilliant colouring of varied costumes...." However, Dafforne notes that there is scope enough for the artist's love of colour in the costumes of the woman and child, which certainly stand out here (104). This too, of course, can only be appreciated in the colour reproduction.
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Bibliography
Dafforne, James. "British Artists — Keeley Halswelle, A.R.S.A." The Art Journal: New Series, Vol. 5 (1879). London: J. S. Virtue, 1879: 101-04. JSTOR Early English Content on the Internet Archive. Web. 9 July 2020.
Non Angli, Sed Angeli. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Web. 9 July 2020.
Created 9 July 2020