ford madox brown - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

Cat. no. 164 Wycliffe reading his Translation of the Bible: Drapery Study for Chaucer,
1848
Black chalk; 350 x 217 mm
Insc. bl.: Ford M Brown 1847 London
Lit.: Whitley, p. 41; Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite, p. 70
Prov.: Charles Fairfax Murray
Presented by Subscribers, 1906 (1906P731)
a
tress make up ‘a gown for Chaucer’ at the studio and on 4 January 1848 he
igure before beginning this study. 232 Brown records making this drapery study in his diary. On 28 December he had
seams
arranged it on the lay f
He worked on it for the next
two days, only breaking to draw the head of Gower from the model Maitland, and
finished it on 6 January. On the same day he returned the lay figure to his friend Charles
Lucy, a history painter, who appears regularly at the start of Brown’s diary. 233
Cat. no. 165 Wycliffe reading his Translation of the Bible: Study of Legs for John of
Gaunt and two Studies
of Feet for Wycliffe, 1848
Black chalk; 285 x 340 mm
Insc. br.: F M Brown/47
Lit.:
Whitley, p. 40; Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite, p. 70
Prov.: Charles Fairfax Murray
Presented by Subscribers, 1906 (1906P728)
Brown’s diary entry for 7 January 1848 almost certainly refers to this particular drawing.
He records that ‘Maitland came drew a study of his legs for John of Gaunt till ½ past 3,
dined, called on my aunt. Maitland came at 6 drew at his feet for Wycliff till ½ past
234
8.’
Maitland was a professional model who was employed by several of the Pre-
Raphaelites. late
rown drew them, candlelight perhaps throwing a more severe shadow than
nting which is depicted in bright sunlight. Brown has signed and
l be a case of backdating or indicate that he
235 The shadow behind the top pair of feet for Wycliffe attests to the
time of day B
the one in the final pai
dated this drawing 1847 but this may wel
made other studies in 1848.
Cat. no. 166 Wycliffe Reading his Translation
of the Bible: Studies of Hands for John of
Gaunt
and Gower, 1847
Black chalk; 151 x 215 mm
Insc. br.: London / F. M. Brown 1847
Lit.: Whitley, p. 41
Exh.: Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite (17)
Prov.: Charles Fairfax Murray
Presented by Subscribers, 1906 (1906P746)
232 Op. cit. at note 2, pp. 21, 23.
233 See ibid., pp. 21-24.
234 Ibid., p. 24.
235 Ibid., p. 23.
295