Mosaic
ca. 1865 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This mosaic of Apelles is part of a cycle of monumental mosaic portraits depicting famous artists. The series of originally 35 mosaics was created between 1864 and circa 1875 for the South Court of the South Kensington Museum, the later V&A. The mosaics were originally installed on the side walls as part of a decorative scheme celebrating the arts. It was made after a painting of Sir Edward Poynter.
Apelles (fl. 330 BC) is the most famous Greek painter in antiquity, now known only through descriptions. His most famous work was a painting of Aphrodite rising from the sea, which Poynter depicts him holding in this Valhalla portrait.
According to Pliny, Alexander asked Apelles to portray his favourite concubine Campaspe. The artist fell in love with his subject while painting her. Because Alexander so admired his skills, he gave Campaspe to the painter.
Apelles was regarded in the 15th and 16th centuries as an archetype of the ideal painter of Ancient Greece. Hardly any paintings from Antiquity had been discovered at this period, but the descriptions of works by Apelles found in Pliny were used as the basis of compositions by painters such as Botticelli.
Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) was influenced as a boy by the large-scale academic paintings of Frederic Leighton. He began studying at the Royal Academy Schools in 1855, but, increasingly attracted by the Continental academic system, soon left to train in Charles Gleyre's studio in Paris. He enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts, where his fellow students were George Du Maurier, Thomas Armstrong and James McNeill Whistler.
Poynter first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1861, and during the next few years he began to make his name as a portraitist and as a painter of classical subjects. His large painting Israel in Egypt firmly established his reputation when it was exhibited in 1867.
As well as commissions for Apelles and Phidias for the Kensington Valhalla, Poynter was also commissioned to provide decorations for the Grill Room at the Museum (1866-ca.1874) and the Lecture Theatre apse, although his design for this was never executed.
The series of mostly idealised portraits against gold backgrounds soon became known by the public as the Kensington Valhalla. The term alludes to the Vallhall as eternal home of heroes in Norse mythology. It also refers to the concept of a reunion of outstanding personalities of different periods by the means of art. An earlier example of such a hall of fame is the Walhalla near Regensburg in Germany (opened in 1842).
The selection of the Kensington Valhalla includes many famous artists, from Phidias and Apelles as representatives of ancient Greece to contemporaries such as the Irish painter William Mulready who had died only five years before his mosaic was completed.
Mosaics played an important part in the canon of materials and techniques used for the interior decoration of the new South Kensington Museum. The ambitious project of a revival of the art of mosaics involved one of the major Venetian mosaic companies of the time, Salviati & Co. It also led to the innovation of the technique by the introduction of vitrified ceramics mosaics made by Minton, Hollins & Co. These ceramics mosaics were created following the cartoons of professional artists by female students, including members of the family of Henry Cole.
The Kensington Valhalla remained in place until 1949. Some of the mosaics are now on display in other galleries of the museum. In addition to the mosaics themselves, preparatory sketches and cartoons by established contemporary artists such as Edward Poynter or Lord Leighton are part of the V&A collection.
Apelles (fl. 330 BC) is the most famous Greek painter in antiquity, now known only through descriptions. His most famous work was a painting of Aphrodite rising from the sea, which Poynter depicts him holding in this Valhalla portrait.
According to Pliny, Alexander asked Apelles to portray his favourite concubine Campaspe. The artist fell in love with his subject while painting her. Because Alexander so admired his skills, he gave Campaspe to the painter.
Apelles was regarded in the 15th and 16th centuries as an archetype of the ideal painter of Ancient Greece. Hardly any paintings from Antiquity had been discovered at this period, but the descriptions of works by Apelles found in Pliny were used as the basis of compositions by painters such as Botticelli.
Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) was influenced as a boy by the large-scale academic paintings of Frederic Leighton. He began studying at the Royal Academy Schools in 1855, but, increasingly attracted by the Continental academic system, soon left to train in Charles Gleyre's studio in Paris. He enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts, where his fellow students were George Du Maurier, Thomas Armstrong and James McNeill Whistler.
Poynter first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1861, and during the next few years he began to make his name as a portraitist and as a painter of classical subjects. His large painting Israel in Egypt firmly established his reputation when it was exhibited in 1867.
As well as commissions for Apelles and Phidias for the Kensington Valhalla, Poynter was also commissioned to provide decorations for the Grill Room at the Museum (1866-ca.1874) and the Lecture Theatre apse, although his design for this was never executed.
The series of mostly idealised portraits against gold backgrounds soon became known by the public as the Kensington Valhalla. The term alludes to the Vallhall as eternal home of heroes in Norse mythology. It also refers to the concept of a reunion of outstanding personalities of different periods by the means of art. An earlier example of such a hall of fame is the Walhalla near Regensburg in Germany (opened in 1842).
The selection of the Kensington Valhalla includes many famous artists, from Phidias and Apelles as representatives of ancient Greece to contemporaries such as the Irish painter William Mulready who had died only five years before his mosaic was completed.
Mosaics played an important part in the canon of materials and techniques used for the interior decoration of the new South Kensington Museum. The ambitious project of a revival of the art of mosaics involved one of the major Venetian mosaic companies of the time, Salviati & Co. It also led to the innovation of the technique by the introduction of vitrified ceramics mosaics made by Minton, Hollins & Co. These ceramics mosaics were created following the cartoons of professional artists by female students, including members of the family of Henry Cole.
The Kensington Valhalla remained in place until 1949. Some of the mosaics are now on display in other galleries of the museum. In addition to the mosaics themselves, preparatory sketches and cartoons by established contemporary artists such as Edward Poynter or Lord Leighton are part of the V&A collection.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mosaic |
| Brief description | Mosaic panel, glass mosaic, depicting Apelles, by Salviati, after a painting by Sir Edward Poynter, Britain, about 1865 |
| Physical description | Vertical oblong mosaic panel |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'APELLES.' |
| Object history | This mosaic was created for the decoration of the South Court of the Museum. It is part of a cycle of mosaic portraits of famous artists. They were created between 1863 and ca. 1875 and installed in blind arcades on the upper level of the South Court. Historical significance: Only few extensive mosaic cycles were executed in the 19th century. Apart from the South Kensington Valhalla the mosaics of the Albert Memorial, Albert Memorial Chapel at Windsor, and at Saint Paul's Cathedral, all begun in 1864, were the only other comparable projects of the time. All of them were made by Salviati & Co. The mosaics of the South Kensington Valhalla are based upon designs of a variety of artists, some of whom were, or were to become, major figures of the Victorian art world. The commission is extremely well documented. The related documents and cartoons at the V&A make this cycle of mosaics not only an outstanding group of artistic value, but are also an excellent case study for the history of the buildings of the Museum. |
| Historical context | The Museum played an important part in the revival of mosaic in Britain in the 19th century. The technique goes back to ancient times and was always regarded as one of the most precious and long-lasting techniques for adorning walls and floors. The enormous costs of mosaics limited its success in the 19th century. The early mosaics for the South Court were made using the traditional material glass. They were created by the Venetian company Salviati & Co., the most successful mosaic makers of the time who had branches in London and New York. The majority of the mosaics consist of vitrified ceramics which were provided by the English company Minton, Hollins & Co. The Mosaics were made by the Mosaic Class of the Art School of the South Kensington Museum and were supervised by a representative of Minton. Amongst the students were family members of Henry Cole. A second, less ambitious series of mosaics was created for the north cloister between 1868 and 1874. In 1878 a ceramic mosaic memorial for Sir Henry Cole, designed by Frank Moody was installed on the first landing of the Ceramic Staircase and is still in place today. The use of mosaic at the museum also included marble mosaic floors, some of them laid by 'Female Convicts' of Woking Prison from 1869 and was dubbed Opus Criminale by contemporaries. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This mosaic of Apelles is part of a cycle of monumental mosaic portraits depicting famous artists. The series of originally 35 mosaics was created between 1864 and circa 1875 for the South Court of the South Kensington Museum, the later V&A. The mosaics were originally installed on the side walls as part of a decorative scheme celebrating the arts. It was made after a painting of Sir Edward Poynter. Apelles (fl. 330 BC) is the most famous Greek painter in antiquity, now known only through descriptions. His most famous work was a painting of Aphrodite rising from the sea, which Poynter depicts him holding in this Valhalla portrait. According to Pliny, Alexander asked Apelles to portray his favourite concubine Campaspe. The artist fell in love with his subject while painting her. Because Alexander so admired his skills, he gave Campaspe to the painter. Apelles was regarded in the 15th and 16th centuries as an archetype of the ideal painter of Ancient Greece. Hardly any paintings from Antiquity had been discovered at this period, but the descriptions of works by Apelles found in Pliny were used as the basis of compositions by painters such as Botticelli. Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) was influenced as a boy by the large-scale academic paintings of Frederic Leighton. He began studying at the Royal Academy Schools in 1855, but, increasingly attracted by the Continental academic system, soon left to train in Charles Gleyre's studio in Paris. He enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts, where his fellow students were George Du Maurier, Thomas Armstrong and James McNeill Whistler. Poynter first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1861, and during the next few years he began to make his name as a portraitist and as a painter of classical subjects. His large painting Israel in Egypt firmly established his reputation when it was exhibited in 1867. As well as commissions for Apelles and Phidias for the Kensington Valhalla, Poynter was also commissioned to provide decorations for the Grill Room at the Museum (1866-ca.1874) and the Lecture Theatre apse, although his design for this was never executed. The series of mostly idealised portraits against gold backgrounds soon became known by the public as the Kensington Valhalla. The term alludes to the Vallhall as eternal home of heroes in Norse mythology. It also refers to the concept of a reunion of outstanding personalities of different periods by the means of art. An earlier example of such a hall of fame is the Walhalla near Regensburg in Germany (opened in 1842). The selection of the Kensington Valhalla includes many famous artists, from Phidias and Apelles as representatives of ancient Greece to contemporaries such as the Irish painter William Mulready who had died only five years before his mosaic was completed. Mosaics played an important part in the canon of materials and techniques used for the interior decoration of the new South Kensington Museum. The ambitious project of a revival of the art of mosaics involved one of the major Venetian mosaic companies of the time, Salviati & Co. It also led to the innovation of the technique by the introduction of vitrified ceramics mosaics made by Minton, Hollins & Co. These ceramics mosaics were created following the cartoons of professional artists by female students, including members of the family of Henry Cole. The Kensington Valhalla remained in place until 1949. Some of the mosaics are now on display in other galleries of the museum. In addition to the mosaics themselves, preparatory sketches and cartoons by established contemporary artists such as Edward Poynter or Lord Leighton are part of the V&A collection. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Physick, John. The Victoria and Albert Museum. The history of its building. London: The Victoria & Albert Museum 1982. Pp. 62-67, no. 2. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.8-2009 |
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| Record created | October 8, 2009 |
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