The Morning of Life by Ellen Mary Rope (1855-1934). 1898. Plaster Bas-relief. Exhibited at the New Gallery, 1898, and Arts and Crafts Exhibition, 1899. 1898 Arts and Crafts Exhibition. According to The Studio, "It is evident that Miss E. M. Rope has a peculiar faculty for the portrayal of child forms in ornament. The plaster relief entitled The Morning of Life, which represents a group of children playing on the seashore, with the sun, half hidden behind a ship in full sail, rising over the waters in the horizon [sic]; and that also of Christ Blessing the Little Children, a well-balanced composition, in which special diognity is given to the centeral figure by heightening of the frame over the head, were both exhibited at the New Gallery in 1898. A pleasant tone is attained” by washing the plaster with a thin wash of brown or buff colour, which, flowing into the hollows, helpes to accentuate the mor eprominent portions of the modelling."
Image scan and formatting by George P. Landow. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
"Arts and Crafts." Studio. 18 (1899): 270.
Last modified 29 January 2007