Lady with a Dove (Madame Loeser)

Lady with a Dove (Madame Loeser)

John Brett, RA (1831-1902)

1864

Oil on canvas

610 x 457 mm

Collection: Tate Britain N03393. Presented by Lady Holroyd in accordance with the wishes of the late Sir Charles Holroyd 1919

“Jeannette Loeser, the subject of this portrait, was romantically involved with John Brett until the spring of 1865. The portrait was largely painted in Rome in the early months of 1864, and completed in London in August that year. The wing of the dove echoes the curved outline of the sitter’s skirt, and the dove motif is repeated in the mosaic brooch on her shoulder. Each corner of the frame is decorated with a winged cherub that looks into the picture as if in admiration of her beauty.” —Tate Britain website

Image released under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported) licence