Beschreibung:

John William Godward (British, 1861-1922) "Waiting for the Procession", 1890 oil on canvas signed and dated mid-left along marble edge, a "Winsor & Newton/London" canvas stamp en verso. Framed. 13" x 9", framed 19-1/4" x 15" Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, New York, October 23, 1997, lot 91; M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans, Louisiana; Private collection. Literature: Swanson, Vern. John William Godward The Eclipse of Classicism. Antique Collectors' Club: Suffolk, 1997, pp. 179-180, illus. 11. Notes: Along with Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) and Sir Frederic Leighton (1830-1896), John William Godward was acknowledged as one of the most successful proponents of Victorian Neo-Classicism, specifically what was loosely and unofficially referred to as the marble school. Inspired by the art, architecture, and antiquities of ancient Rome and Greece, Godward painstakingly studied every aspect of his paintings to ensure they were as accurate as possible. This meticulous attention to detail is evident in the exquisite painting presented here. The classically draped figure is leaning against a delicately gray-veined cream marble parapet. Every pleat and fold of cloth is clearly delineated, and the lush weightiness of the fabric is played against the luminous smoothness of the marble. As with almost all of Godward's paintings, the background is intentionally vague in its characteristic and, therefore, unidentifiable locale - as its true role is to act as a foil to the beauty and gracefulness of the figure and the architectural edifice with which she is so elegantly framed. Little is known of Godward's schooling and education, though it is believed that he spent some time in the offices of the architect William Hoff Wontner, a family friend, from whom he likely learned the rudiments of technical architectural drawing - a skill which was to be of crucial significance in his later chosen style and subject. In 1887 he exhibited for the first time at the Royal Academy, to nearly instantaneous critical acclaim, and Godward spent the next several decades as a popular and highly sought-after artist.
In generally good condition with some abrading along edges where canvas meets frame. A small, approx. 1/8", loss at left edge above balustrade. A linear abrasion at mid- to lower left edge, possibly due to pressure from an earlier frame. Painting has been professionally restored: inpainting in sky, at mid-left, lower left edge, small filler areas in hair, dress, at right of proper left elbow, lower left corner. Faint craquelure. Contemporary frame.