Elaine
Emma Sandys (Norwich 1843 – Norwich 1877)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1862 - circa 1865
Materials
Oil on panel
Measurements
369 x 391 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Wightwick Manor, West Midlands
NT 1288985
Caption
The subject of this painting was taken from the Arthurian legends, made popular by Tennyson's ‘Idylls of the King’, published in 1859. Elaine falls in love with Lancelot, but her love is unrequited. In the mid-Victorian period she was regarded as a figure of pathos, and was a popular subject for artists, especially women. Sandys produced at least three versions of this picture. The female subject from literature, shoulder length with the face turned to one side rather than straight towards the viewer, in mediaevalising costume and with a flat decorative background, has parallels with the work of other Pre-Raphaelite artists. The same leopardskin and the medievalising flat, decorative background can be found in other works by Emma Sandys. Such repetition of studio props and costumes is characteristic of both her and her brother, Frederick’s respective oeuvres.
Summary
Oil painting on panel, Elaine by Emma Sandys (Norwich 1843 – Norwich 1877), circa 1862-5. A shoulder-length square portrait of Elaine, wife of Lancelot, female figure of Arthurian legend, turned to right, hand raised to her left cheek, in antique costume, pearl necklace, long wavy hair against a floral background. She is the heroine of Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859) whose love for Lancelot is unrequited and it leads to her madness.
Full description
The subject is from the Arthurian legends made popular by Tennyson's Idylls of the King published in 1859. Elaine falls in love with Lancelot, but her love is unrequited. In the mid-Victorian period she was regarded as a figure of pathos, and was a popular subject for artists, especially women. Sandys produced at least three versions of this picture. The female subject from literature, shoulder length with the face turned to one side rather than straight towards the viewer, in mediaevalising costume and with a flat decorative background, has parallels with the work of other Pre-Raphaelite artists. It can be seen in Rossetti's Fazio's Mistress (Tate) and Frederick Sandy's Vivien (Manchester City Art Gallery) - also an Arthurian subject, both of 1863. This format was developed by Rossetti, influenced by early 16th century Venetian art, but Sandys varies it in Elaine by setting the figure on the diagonal rather than vertical. The sharpness and precision of the picture is characteristic of her best work. (adapted from author's unpublished property catalogue, Stephen Ponder, Wightwick Manor, circa 1995)
Provenance
Transferred from Lanhydrock to Wightwick, August 1998
Credit line
Wightwick Manor, The Mander Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
Elaine (in red lettering on frame)
Makers and roles
Emma Sandys (Norwich 1843 – Norwich 1877), artist
Exhibition history
The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, William Morris Gallery, London , 2022 - 2023 The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, 2022 - 2023 The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, Falmouth Art Gallery, 2022 - 2023