Andrew Brown Donaldson

Private collection, Monaco

The son of a solicitor Andrew Brown Donaldson (sometimes known as Andrew Benjamin Donaldson) studied at the Royal Academy Schools and in Rome. In 1872 he was married Agnes Emily Twining, the youngest daughter of the famous tea merchant Richard Twining. They lived in Kensington and latterly in Hampstead but as evidenced by his numerous watercolours, Donaldson toured Europe extensively in search of inspiration, frequently accompanied by his wife and six children. His oil paintings were often influenced by the work of the Pre-Raphaelites, particularly Rossetti, and depict historic, literary or mythological scenes. He exhibited widely and examples of his work can be seen at various public galleries and institutions, including the Usher Gallery in Lincoln, Tate Britain, the Guildhall in Winchester, Palace of Westminster and New College, Oxford. In later life the Donaldsons retired to the village of Lyndhurst in the New Forest, Hampshire.

Deciphering the subject of the present picture is perplexing and the title is speculative. It does not appear to be a scene from literature and is likely to be an allegory set in medieval Italy. The groups of figures appear to represent different aspects of romance. The youth in the centre, has dropped his book and cast aside his mandolin, entirely enraptured by a girl clad in gold. He leans eagerly across the fountain attempting in vain to catch her attention, but she is more interested in the actions of the gallant knight who is attempting to catch a fish for her. Two musicians play in harmony together and a blonde young woman is happily wooed by a gentleman who almost has a fish on his fishing-hook. In the left foreground a maiden appears weary at her suitor’s advances, the garland of roses on her lap beginning to fall apart and his amorous affections falling on deaf ears.