Hope.
England: The Academy: May 29, 1886. 19th Century sepia photograph artistically mounted on a board with Pfeiffer's poem, of the same title.
Contemporary manuscript inscription, possibly in the hand of the poet or artist: "In memory of Ralph Waldo Emerson." Deaccessioned by the Bancroft Library, Berkeley, CA to Peter Howard of Serendipity Books.
Hope is a Symbolist oil painting by the English painter George Frederic Watts, the first two versions of which were completed in 1886. he picture is one of a series of allegorical subjects which Watts intended for a decorative scheme known as the 'House of Life'. Traditionally the figure of Hope is identified by an anchor, but Watts was seeking a fresher, more original approach. He painted blind Hope seated on a globe and playing on a lyre which has all its strings broken except one. She bends her head to listen to the faint music, but her efforts appear forlorn; the overall atmosphere is one of sadness and desolation rather than hope. The picture's sense of melancholy is enhanced by the soft brushwork and the translucent mists that envelop the floating globe. Item #51-1698
Price: $500.00