Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

The Blue Bower

Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Fanny Cornforth, the artist’s mistress, was the model for this striking image. The cornflowers at the front refer to her name and the passion flowers suggest her fiery character. But the image is more a hymn to beauty than a portrait. A bower is a private setting for lovers and Rossetti has decorated it with exotic elements suited to a frankly amorous encounter. The tiles combine a Chinese cherry blossom motif with an arabic shape and at the front is a Japanese stringed instrument, the koto. Everything is depicted with a Pre-Raphaelite attention to detail.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Birmingham

Title

The Blue Bower

Date

1865

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 84 x W 70.9 cm

Accession number

59.1

Acquisition method

purchased, 1959

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

Signed and dated: DGR [in monogram]/1865

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TS England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue