Edward Burne-Jones, Portrait of Baronne Madeleine Deslandes, 1895-96. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Please note venue change - seminar will now be held in the Visual Resource Centre in the John Medley building. Time and date are the same.
This paper will investigate Sir Edward Burne-Jones’s enigmatic portrait of Baronne Madeleine Deslandes (1895-96), which was acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in late 2005. Baronne Deslandes (1866–1929) was the celebrated hostess of a cultured Parisian salon that was frequented by renowned artists, poets and composers. Using contemporary accounts of Deslandes, this paper will explore the degree to which her portrait by Burne-Jones reflected her character. Capturing a sitter’s likeness was not central to the portraits by Burne-Jones, in which he depicted his own perception of beauty. Further, the deliberate inclusion of the background foliage and the crystal globe resting in the sitter’s delicately entwined fingers suggests a symbolic dimension to the painting’s interpretation. These accessories will be compared to other examples within the artist’s oeuvre, providing fresh insight into the sitter and the idiosyncratic artistic vision of Edward Burne-Jones.
Venue: Dulcie Hollyock Room, Ground Floor, Baillieu Library (Building 177), University of Melbourne, Parkville (map).
Date: Monday 1 December, 6:30pm.
Melbourne Portrait Group webpage: http://melbourneportraitgroup.wordpress.com