Flora

James Smetham, 1821-89

mid 1860s

Oil on canvas

15 ½ x 9 ⅞ inches (39.5 x 24.5 cm.

Private collection.

[Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Flora is the Roman goddess of flowers and of the season of spring. Smetham depicts her holding a daffodil in her left hand, a spring flower than can symbolize rebirth and renewal in the language of flowers. This picture again shows Smetham under the spell of Rossetti at a time when Rossetti and his circle were finding inspiration in Venetian High Renaissance art. Flora’s gorgeous green dress was obviously derived from Renaissance attire and not classical. The model again was likely Ellen Smith.

Flora was a popular subject for Aesthetic Movement artists. It was treated in watercolour by Lawrence Alma-Tadema in 1877 and in oils by J. W. Waterhouse in 1891 and 1914 and by Evelyn De Morgan in 1894. Edward Burne-Jones designed a tapestry in 1885 that was manufactured for many years by Morris & Co. — Dennis T. Lanigan