ford madox brown - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

Elijah [paper torn] [and the Widow's Son / Kings] C17 / v23. 74
As a letter written on 27 November indicates Brown immediately chose Joseph's Coat
and Elijah and the Widow's Son and had already begun working on them (cat. nos. 66-
68 and 71-73). 75 He may well have been drawn to them because of the ample
possibilities they offered to show the intense emotions of grief and extreme relief. 76
He toyed with the idea of designing 'The destruction of the golden calf' but felt he
would rather undertake a subject of his suggestion. 'The other four I very much fear I
could make nothing of—so perhaps you may find some one else willing to take
them.' 77 Instead he suggested
Viz Meeting of Jacob & Esau. Gen [Genesis] XXXIII, The fear of the
people at the presence of God - Moses & Aaron enter the cloud on Mount
Sinai Ex [Exodus] XX, Jacob serves 7 years & they appear to him as a
few days through his love for Rachel Gen XXIX, Ehud says to Eglon king
of Moab “I have a message from God unto thee - and Eglon arose from his
seat & Ehud took the dagger concealed beneath his thigh Judges III,
“Deborah Judges Israel” Judges IV, Barak & Deborah pursue Sisera Jael
shows them how he lies dead. Judges IV (N.B. in this last though not
expressly stated Deborah might be brought in with effect). 78
74 Ibid. (Letter from the Dalziel brothers, 19 November 1863, V&A)
75 Letter quoted in full in Deborah Cherry, An annotated Edition of the Diary and selected Letters of
Ford Madox Brown 1850-1870, unpublished PhD thesis, London University, 1977, pp. 119-120.
76 As shown in chapter 1, Brown often favoured scenes which allowed him to depict extreme emotions.
77 Op. cit. at note 75, p. 120.
78 Ibid., pp. 119-120.
166