The First Meeting of Petrarch and Laura, by Marie Spartali Stillman (1844-1927)

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The First Meeting of Petrarch and Laura

Marie Spartali Stillman (1844-1927)

1889

Watercolour, gouache and graphite on paper

Private Collection (Courtesy of Peter and Renate Nahum)

[Commentary continues below.]

The painting in its frame

Photographs and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee.

Photograph taken, by kind permission, at the the National Portrait Gallery, London, when the painting was featured in their "Pre-Raphaelite Sisters" exhibition, 17 October 2019 – 26 January 2020). [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

According to the National Portrait Gallery's label, the scene is set in a medieval church, where Petrarch sees Laura for the first time. "Laura obliquely acknowledges Petrarch’s attention as she gives alms to an elderly woman. The viewer’s eye is drawn through deep perspective towards the high altar where candles are being quenched." The label also suggests that the pageboy may be modelled on Stillman's son, Michael.

The Stillmans lived near Florence from 1878-1884, and Marie Spartali Stillman had developed a particular interest in Italian poetry and art history. Many of her works were inspired by that interest, and Julia Straub mentions that she used Rossetti's Early Italian Poets as a source. Straub also points out that she liked to use watercolour and gouache to "enhance the effect of the 'medieval,' bright colours" (28), while still modulating them carefully. But what really stands out here is the skilful use of perspective.

Bibliography

Straub, Julia. Victorian Muse: The Afterlife of Dante's Beatrice in Nineteenth-Century Literature. Pbk ed. London and New York: Continuum, 2011.

Created 28 October 2019