Thursday, February 24, 2011

Lady Jane Grey

I have a small obsession with Tudor England...but not with Henry VIII or his wives.


The drama after his death! most especially I feel so sad for poor Jane Grey. She may not be as innocent as history makes her seem- a victim of mean, insecure Elizabeth-she may have been as motivated by power as the other candidates for the throne.




But in this painting by Delaroche my heart breaks for her.

Poor Jane, a victim of ambitious parents and opportunity. On the throne-the Queen of England for 13 days.



This painting is beautiful-definitely one of my favorites. Her dress looks so real-you can practically hear it rustle. She is ready-succumbed to her fate, but you can see the loss, the awe at the injustice of it all in the eyes of her companion.




Sad. But Beautiful.







On a side note, I'm preparing a short presentation on the synbolism and role of the Virgin Mary in Northern Renaissance art, and I LOVE being immersed in the world of Art History again. I sure do miss it.

6 comments:

meagan said...

I remember when you showed this to me at the National Gallery. It is haunting isn't it?

In other news: Would this presentation be for one of your Thursday night get togethers? I'd love to hear it!

Sarah said...

Oh, that is beautiful. What is the presentation for? Fun!

Amy said...

yeah, it's for MITE night (Most Interesting Thing Ever). Every Thursday night a group of us get together and someone presents on what the most interesting thing ever is to them.
We've heard about Permafrost, Kante, how to make bread, how to protect yourself on the internet, how to decorate on a budget and lots of other things.

meagan said...

Can I come hear yours?

Diane said...

That sounds like fun! Love the painting.Maybe you can repeat the presentation for me?

Amy said...

Meagan-you can come of course! (to any of them! maybe Thursday can be our out to dinner, then to a mini-lecture night)

Mom, you should just come up!