Dimensions: support: 610 x 457 mm frame: 785 x 632 x 80 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have John Brett’s Lady with a Dove: Madame Loeser, currently housed at Tate Britain. The dove is such a striking detail; it imbues the portrait with a sense of delicate grace, don’t you think? What feelings does the portrait evoke for you? Curator: It whispers of Victorian sensibilities, doesn't it? That dove, perched so delicately, might hint at peace, or perhaps a suppressed longing. Notice the somber hues—are they reflective of a personal sorrow, or a societal constraint? The lady's gaze seems distant, almost melancholic. Editor: So, it's less about a literal dove and more about what it represents? Curator: Precisely. It's an invitation to ponder the unsaid. Perhaps Brett used that dove to offer a peek into the quiet turbulence beneath the surface of Victorian decorum. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Makes you wonder about the untold stories behind the portrait. Curator: Indeed! Art is that gentle nudge, urging us to look beyond the obvious.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/brett-lady-with-a-dove-madame-loeser-n03393
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Jeannette Loeser, the subject of this portrait, was romantically involved with John Brett until the spring of 1865. The portrait was largely painted in Rome in the early months of 1864, and completed in London in August that year. The wing of the dove echoes the curved outline of the sitter’s skirt, and the dove motif is repeated in the mosaic brooch on her shoulder. Each corner of the frame is decorated with a winged cherub that looks into the picture as if in admiration of her beauty. Gallery label, November 2016
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