Thomas was a link, via his friend Ford Madox Brown with whom he shared a studio in 1848, between the Pre-Raphaelites and the monastic group of German painters known as the Nazarenes. Thomas studied in Munich in the early 1840s and adopted the Nazarenes’ severe style, hard outline and Christian subject matter. In 1845, three years before the Brotherhood was formed, Brown went to Munich to meet the two most important Nazarenes, Overbeck and Cornelius, probably at Thomas’ introduction. Thomas also knew Seddon and Rossetti, and was credited with giving the Pre-Raphaelite periodical The Germ its name. — the Maas Gallery
Biographical Material and Discussion
- William Cave Thomas (1820-1906): A Brief Life
- William Cave Thomas (1820-1906): A Pre-Raphaelite Associate
Works
Bibliography
Bénézit, Emmanuel. Dictionary of Artists, Vol. 13. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 884-885.
Codell, Julie F. "William Cave Thomas: Pre-Raphaelite Defector or Educator." The Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies VIII (May, 1987): 25-40.
Dafforne, James. "British Artists: Their Style and Character. No. LXXXIV – William Cave Thomas." The Art Journal. New Series VIII (1869): 217-219.
Hueffer, Ford Madox. Ford Madox Brown. A Record of his Life and Work. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1896.
Surtees, Virginia Ed. The Diary of Ford Madox Brown. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.
Tupper, John Lucas. "English Artists of the Present Day. XXX. – William Cave Thomas." The Portfolio II (1871): 149-53.
Created 1 February 2024