John William Godward

W. S. Marchant
Sale: Christie's, London, June 1, 1917, lot 115
Mssrs. Eugene Cremetti, London
Dowell's, Edinburgh (acquired from the above, 1932)
Priory Gallery, Gloucestershire
Peter Nahum, London (by 1992)
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 11, 1998, lot 100, illustrated
M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans
Acquired from the above

Paris, Salon, 1906

A. Vincent, A Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Artists, Devon, 1991, pp. 114-5, illustrated (as Girl with Tambourine)
Vern Grosvenor Swanson, John William Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, 1997, p. 84, 218, no. 1906.12, 278, illustrated pl. 62

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is in lovely condition. The canvas is unlined. The paint layer is clean. The varnish is slightly dull, but there are no retouches. If the varnish were freshened slightly, the work should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In The Tambourine Girl, Godward depicts one of his favorite Italian models as a Neoclassical maiden, centrally set against an expressively carved marble frieze.  Godward’s extraordinary technical mastery is evident in the handling of the young woman’s diaphanous purple coa vestis stola (the female variation of the ancient Roman toga), and classically inspired tan palla (Roman shawl). The artist sensually contrasts these vivid gossamer fabrics with the expertly rendered three-dimensionality of the cool, white frieze, which in turn is ensconced within a wall built of blue-black veined marble.  The finely sculpted piece of stone shows several male figures in celebration as they dance and play musical instruments. In a clever juxtaposition of foreground and background features, Godward intentionally relates the details of the frieze with the subject of the central figure; she too will soon be playing her musical instrument.

Rather than paint his model in the middle of a dance, Godward places her in contrapposto, a signature pose of the Greek classical style also adopted by the Renaissance masters, whereby the body stands at rest with most of its weight shifted to one leg. Just as the warm-colored, soft fabric of her costume contrasts with the cold, hard marble, the model’s relaxed pose is in opposition to the dynamism of the dancing figures behind her. Three years later, Godward would paint a similar scene in which a Greco-Roman beauty also stands in contrapposto before a marble wall (sold in these rooms, May 23, 1996, lot 134), but this time the figures in the ensconced frieze are female and portrayed as graceful maidens as composed as the model herself.  By making small, subtle changes to setting, prop, or costume, Godward created a series of alluring scenes of classical beauty. Like other artists of the Victorian period such a Frederic, Lord Leighton, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (see lot 25), and Albert Moore, among others, Godward’s allegiance to Antique themes remained consistent throughout his career as they became synonymous with an art of great aesthetic beauty and harmony.