Wycliffe Reading his Translation of the Bible - Unfinished Study for Head of Constance
1847 – 1849
Accession number: 1906P701
Pencil on paper.
Width: 117 mm
Height: 105 mm
Information
This is one of several studies for the head of John of Gaunt's second wife Constance, Princess of Catile and León, in Brown's painting 'Wycliffe reading his Translation of the Bible to John of Gaunt, in the Presence of Chaucer and Gower' (1848, oil on canvas, Cartwright Hall, Bradford). The model for this study may have been Julia Wild who made money through sitting for artists and prostitution. She was known for her black eyes. Brown's diary entry for 8 January 1848 notes that he 'dined & went out for Miss Wild ... came back and set to work by 7 till 10 on the head of the female, made a wretched drawing of it' (Virginia Surtees, ed., 'The Diary of Ford Madox Brown,' pp. 26-7). His displeasure with the study may explain the unfinished state of this drawing.LM
- Purchased and presented by subscribers, 1906.
- © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Makers
| Association | Artist | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Ford Madox Brown | - |
Literature
| Author(s) | Date(s) | Publisher | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings | |||
| A E Whitley | 1939 | Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery | p. 39 |
| Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite | |||
| Laura MacCulloch, Tessa Sidey | 2008 | D. Giles Limited, London | p. 70 |
Associated people
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| The Fair Maid of Kent | Depicted |
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