Zephyrus Wooing Flora

Henrietta Rae (1859–1928)

Exhibited Royal Academy 1888

Oil on canvas

“Zephyrus wooing Flora” was submitted to the Royal Academy in 1888, and duly accepted. The picture was even more ambitious than the “ Eurydice,” and in its re- sult showed that the progress of the previous year was being maintained. Decorative in treatment, the whole scheme gave the artist an opportunity to reveal her powers more fully as a colourist, an opportunity of which she availed herself to the utmost. The reproduction of this picture will serve as a memorandum of its general colour scheme, for the great reduction, of course, does not allow of the facsimile rendering of the beautiful details. The skilful, almost perfect, flesh painting of the two figures, the wondrous iridescence of the wings of Zephyrus, the mass of flowers among which the goddess is seated, and with which she is garlanded, and the bright green of the back- ground of foliage, make a whole which is a veritable feast of colour. The figure of Zephyrus floats downward to meet that of Flora, whose pose expresses an exultant welcome, as with head thrown back she presents her lips for the expected kiss.