AFA Summer 2018

Summer 108 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Fig. 5: Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), Idealized Portrait of a Lady (Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci as Nymph), ca. 1475. Tempera on panel, 32¼ x 21¼ inches. Städel Museum, Frankfurt (Inv. no. 936). Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. admired Hans Memling’s Saint John Altarpiece in Bruges on an 1849 Pre-Raphaelite pilgrimage. The jewel-toned palette, angular postures, and highly detailed symbolism of the Pre-Raphaelites emulated these early Netherlandish artists. The influence of early Netherlandish paintings on the early PRB aesthetic can be seen in the comparison of works such as Van Eyck’s The Annunciation and Millais’ iconic painting Mariana . By painting in oil on mahogany panel, emulating the techniques of the master, Millais created a work of lasting quality and beauty comparable to Van Eyck’s masterpiece (Figs. 3, 4). The Victorian Pre-Raphaelites did not simply source a series of visual quotations from their predecessors; rather, their objectives had greater implications about how contemporary artists relate to and engage with the past. Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the