Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Spinning Wool for the Poor by Marianne Stokes, née Preindlsberger (1855-1927). Exhibited 1895. Oil on canvas. 96.5cm x 61cm. Left: Private Collection (image via picryl.com, in the public domain). Right: The same work reproduced in black-and-white in Jackson 287.
Study for the Head of St Elizabeth (Meynell, facing p. 242).
M. Phipps Jackson praised the work in the Magazine of Art of 1895, when it was shown in the New Gallery, as did the reviewer for London Society although not without a hint of criticism: like another painting, he said, it struck him as "full of charm ... and in spite of being a trifle stiff, the simplicity of the figure and the fine colouring make it one of the most attractive pictures in the gallery" (621).
In her account of Marianne Stokes, Alice Meynell shows a simple profile sketch which was a study for the head of the saint. It would come in useful elsewhere, beautifully expressing the artist's idea of the virtues of womanhood. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Spinning Wool for the Poor. picryl.com. Web. 24 June 2023.
Jackson, M. Phipps. "The New Gallery." The Magazine of Art. Vol. 18 (1895): 285-288.
Meynell, Alice. "Mrs Adrian Stokes." The Magazine of Art Vol. 25 (1901): 241-46. Internet Archive. Sponsored by the Kahke/Austin Foundation. Web. 24 June 2023.
"The Spring Art Exhibitions – 1895." London Society.
Created 24 June 2023