Portrait of Thomas Woolner, 1879. Oil on canvas, 331/2 x 223/8 inches (85 x 57 cm). Collection of Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service; accession no. R.1921-106.
The sculptor Thomas Woolner was one of the original members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the only sculptor of the group. He was likely introduced to Legros through the Rossetti brothers. How this commission for Woolner’s portrait came about is unknown.
Amy Woolner, in her biography of her father, merely mentions: “In November [1879] M. Alphonse Legros painted a portrait in oils of Woolner just before the Sculptor went on a tour of the Continent with his friend Dilberoglue” (300). Legros chose to paint a half-length, three-quarter profile, portrait of Woolner dressed in black.
Links to Related Material
Bibliography
Woolner, Amy. Thomas Woolner, R. A.: Sculptor and Poet. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1917.
Last modified 13 November 2022