Flirtation
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Flirtation
By J. Seymour Lucas, R.A.(1849-1923)
In the Guildhall Gallery, London
As a lad, Seymour Lucas was apprenticed to a wood carver and sculptor, and at the age of sixteen he exhibited at the Society of Arts a group of "Wallace at the Battle of Stirling" carved out of a solid block of wood. The preference for historical subjects which he showed at that time has been a characteristic of his work ever since. From that to historic genre painting was but a step for him, and the collection of Meissonier paintings (now in the Wallace Collection), which he saw in 1874, confirmed his taste whilst appreciably affecting his style.
He was twenty-one years old when he entered the Royal Academy schools, and two years later his first picture ("The Apothecary," from Romeo and Juliet ) was hung on the walls of Burlington HOuse. Since that time his work has appeared regularly,and it is safe to say that no more popular paintings are shown there. In 1898, the year he was elected a Royal Academician, he painted the fresco for the Royal Exchange, showing "William the Conqueror Granting the First Charter to the City of London." The late King Edward VII. commissioned him to paint the commemorative picture of the "Reception of the Moorish Ambassadors" at St. James's Palace in 1901.
Mr. Lucas is noted for his close knowledge of the costumes of certain periods, and many interesting specimens of dress and of arms and armour are to be found in his studio. He has used his knowledge to full advantage in "Flirtation," which represents a country squire paying court to a tenant-farmer's attractive daughter under pretence of taking some refreshment. The accomplished man of the world, wholly at ease, and the girl in an attitude hovering between surprise and coquetry, are admirably conceived, while the quaint interior and the pleasing costumes combine to make a picture that is as delightful as it is human.
From the book "Famous Paintings" printed in 1913.
Large files of this public domain print are available at Stock Photos at Songs of Praise
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