Scott, William Bell (1811-1890)
Fair Rosamund in her Bower
after 1854
Oil on canvas, 60.3 x 49.5 cm
Private collection
Comentary by Rupert Maas:
Scott first painted the subject of Rosamund in 1854, for exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy. This version is later, but hard to date precisely. The legend of the fair Rosamund had it that she was a beautiful and virtuous woman, loved by King Henry II. Her bower was said to have been surrounded by impenetrable thickets of roses (in the language of courtly love, this represented chastity).
Compare:
De Morgan, Evelyn (1855-1919)
Queen Eleanor and the Fair Rosamund
Probably 1901–1902
De Morgan Collection
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828-1882)
Fair Rosamund
1861
National Museum Wales, Cardiff
Scott, William Bell (1811-1890)
Fair Rosamond Alone in Her Bower
c.1853
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
Waterhouse, John William (1849-1917)
Fair Rosamund
1916
National Museum Wales, Cardiff
See also:
• Clifford, Rosamund (c.1140-c.1176) | Henry II, King of England (1133-1189)