FROM PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTER TO COLLECTOR/CONNOISSEUR
HENRY WALLIS
Dr Dennis T. Lanigan is a well-known PreRaphaelite collector. He has written articles for the Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies and The Review of the Pre-Raphaelite Society. After studying philosophy at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Ronald Lessens published numerous books and articles on European intelligentsia, including William Herschel, Virginia Woolf and Henry Wallis.
Ronald Lessens Dennis T. Lanigan
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The Death of Chatterton hangs in Tate Britain, a resplendent depiction of tragedy. This is the canvas that earned Henry Wallis his lasting legacy. It embodies the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic, from its morbid subject – Thomas Chatterton, the precocious 18th-century poet who poisoned himself to escape poverty, aged just seventeen – to its vibrant colourwork and dynamic, chiaroscuro style. This is the first holistic appraisal of the painter, celebrated for his masterpieces The Death of Chatterton and The Stonebreaker. As well as acknowledging Wallis’s expertise as a colourist and draughtsman, it pays respect to his lesser-known, but important accomplishments as both collector and art connoisseur.
HENRY WALLIS (1830-1916)
FROM PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTER TO COLLECTOR/CONNOISSEUR
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The extensively researched illustrated catalogue raisonné gathers every piece of information available – including provenance, exhibitions and contemporary reviews – for all identifiable works in the painter’s name. The appendices present a wealth of important information: lists of exhibitions around the world that included Wallis’s works during his lifetime; objects collected by Wallis housed in the V&A and British Museum; personal information; and a selection of previously unpublished letters between Wallis and leading lights of the Pre-Raphaelite circle – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris – which provides a fascinating insight into their lives and concerns. This comprehensive study demonstrates the full range of Henry Wallis’s contributions to the world of Victorian art.
Front cover: The Death of Chatterton (detail); 1855-56; oil on canvas; see Cat. 22
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Image by permission of Tate Britain, London
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The biographical chapters chart his personal life: the infamous affair with Mary Ellen Meredith, his travels – particularly to Italy and Egypt – his interest in archaeology and work with Flinders Petrie, and his acquaintances and friendships within the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Wallis had wide collecting interests that encompassed fine arts, manuscripts, metal work, glassware, antiquities and fabrics, including oriental rugs. In particular, Wallis was an expert in Islamic ceramics and sourced many items for both the British Museum and the V&A.
Back cover: After the Trial: Antonio receiving the Congratulations of his Friends (Antonio is released from Shylock’s Bond) (The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1); 1879; watercolour; private collection; see Cat. 125
ISBN: 978-1-78884-027-9
ËxHSLHSIy840279zv&:':+:!:+ £45.00/$60.00
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Ronald Lessens • Dennis T. Lanigan
Image courtesy of Bonhams, London