Pre-Raphaelite Christmas Stamps Released by Royal Mail

The Royal Mail has released a lovely set of Pre-Raphaelite stamps in time for the holiday season. The collection was chosen by designer Andrew Ross, who examined stained glass from churches throughout England in order to compile the artwork for the set of stamps. The final designs were taken from churches in Cumbria, Norfolk, Somerset, East Sussex and Wiltshire.The angel with the mandolin (middle) was designed by William Morris, while the Wise Man stamp (bottom middle) is from some stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones. The art for the 1st, 56p and £1.35 stamps are from stained glass created by Henry Holiday, who worked with Edward Burne-Jones in his studios.

"We are extremely privileged to have access to such a rich history of beautiful stained glass designs in churches and other buildings around the UK," said Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps, Royal Mail.

"These precious images of the nativity have a timeless appeal and are a wonderful way of telling the story of Christmas here and around the world."

It appears that the stamps already have a following - Wales online reports that a number of the Pre Raphaelite stamps were stolen before they were made available to the general public. As a result, "ANYONE offered Royal Mail’s newest commemorative Christmas stamps on the cheap is being asked to contact police after a new delivery was stolen in a burglary." The thieves weren't just desperate romantics, though - they also stole cash, phone cards and cigarettes.

William Morris Fan Club

Thank you so much for all of your comments on my previous post! I have been rather occupied with my baby girl this week, but I did find the time to discover a new site that I think will be of interest to readers of this blog. William Morris Fan Club is a blog devoted to William Morris' design and the Arts and Crafts Movement in general. Check it out!

A New Arrival

As some of you guessed from my last post, our lovely little girl arrived last Wednesday evening. She is an absolute treasure, as you can see!

Van Gogh on Babies

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle. If there is a "ray from on high," perhaps one can find it there. (Letter 242)

Vincent Van Gogh

John Knight's Pre-Raphaelite Photography

Photographer John Knight has a passion for the Pre-Raphaelites (and for vintage and fine art photography in general). Knight's specialty is the Art Deco period (his studio is actually called Art Deco Studio), but he began his work recreating Pre-Raphaelite images after using two models he felt strongly resembled Jane Morris and Lizzie Siddal. Since then, Knight has recreated a number of iconic Pre-Raphaelite images for modern audiences.


And here we have John Knight's photographic interpretation of the painting:

Of course, Knight uses a great deal of image editing software in order to reproduce the paintings, but it would be impossible to make them look much like the originals without it.

His interpretation of Frederick Sandy's "Love's Shadow" is spectacular, though it shies away from the energy and anger of the original. The girl in Knight's version is a quite a bit more coy and far less threatening than Sandys' (who you will recall is actually baring her teeth in the painting).

Knight's version:



Anthony Frederick Sandys' version - teeth bared, and looking a bit vicious:



I asked Knight what drew him to Pre-Raphaelite art. He replied that

"the images created by the PRB are amongst the most enduring of all art works ever created. They touch the soul and the heart, they challenge the eye and they transport the viewer back...back to fantasy, to chivalry, to folklore and myth to the stories of our childhood and the dreams of our imagination."

I couldn't agree more!

Be sure to check out John Knight's website for more of his Pre-Raphaelite images. Many are quite extraordinary--I think my favourites are the Venus Verticordia (shown above) and Flaming June.

Leonardo da Vinci's Fingerprint Discovered on Painting

Last year I did a post about a debate raging over whether or not the painting The Marriage Portrait of a Young Woman (pictured above) was an original Leonardo da Vinci.

One year later and the controversy is far from over. The battle is still raging among art experts over whether or not the painting is actually by da Vinci.

Most recently, a lab in Paris has discovered a fingerprint in the upper left hand corner that appears to belong to Leonardo da Vinci(it kind of surprises me that they are not able to tell definitively if the fingerprint matches - especially with all that pricey forensic equipment). Originally, Christie's auction house had valued the painting at under $20,000.00, but of course that was before the painting had been subjected to more detailed investigation.

Further investigation into the painting are ongoing, but this must be great news for Canadian art collector Peter Silverman. Silverman purchased the work for around $21,850 in 2007. If the painting does turn out to be a da Vinci, it will most likely be worth tens of millions of dollars. Not a bad investment!

The BBC has a video of the latest news about the painting, which can be viewed on the BBC News website.

Memphis Brooks Museum Hosts "Masterpieces from Museo de Arte de Ponce"

Now through January 10, 2010, the Memphis Brooks Museum will be hosting an exhibit of 56 paintings entitled "Masterpieces from Museo de Arte de Ponce."

The Museo de Arte de Ponce is well-known for it's spectacular Pre-Raphaelite collection, which will be featured prominently in this exhibition. However, the show will also feature paintings from a number of different periods, and includes works from Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens and the Belle Époque master James Tissot

The Brooks Museum has a couple of events on October 15, 2009 to celebrate the collection, including a "Tea and Tour" from 1:30 - 3 pm. Enjoy tea and treats after a special tour with the docents ($3 per person). The event is sponsored by the Brooks Museum League. Reservations are required, please call 901.544.6242. A dinner will also be held the same night--call the number above for more information.


For more information, check out the Brooks Museum Website