Victorian values: BYU show offers rare opportunity to see and experience 29 artworks

PROVO — Art lovers in Victorian England (1837-1901) knew no dearth of excellent art. During the annual summer public exhibitions at London's Royal Academy, hundreds of thousands of visitors perused scenes drawn from mythology and literature, ancient history and contemporary life. Patrons marveled at each piece's technical virtuosity, sumptuous colors and narrative power.

"Masterworks of Victorian Art from the Collection of John H. Schaeffer," on display at Brigham Young University Museum of Art through Aug. 16, gives visitors a rare opportunity to see and experience 29 works of art from the private collection of Australian businessman Schaeffer.

"We just feel so fortunate to have one of the great collections in the world of Victorian art available to us at this time," said Paul Anderson, museum curator.

Composed of paintings, sculpture and works on paper, the exhibit includes such artists as William Holdman Hunt (1827-1910), Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-98), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82), John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) and George Frederic Watts (1817-1904). Many of the pieces have never been shown in the United States previously.

The work in the show is grouped into five thematic categories: religious works, paintings depicting mythology, literature and history, paintings of everyday life, paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and works by other European artists.

Several exhibition pieces will awe patrons, such as "Mariamne" by Waterhouse. Regarded as one of the artist's masterpieces, the painting depicts the tragic story of Mariamne, the young wife of King Herod, who is leaving his throne room after being sentenced to death based on false accusations of infidelity. At 105 inches by 72 inches, this dramatic painting is imposing and flawlessly rendered.

Another excellent work is Anthony Frederick August Sandys' "Love's Shadow." This intense portrait depicts a young beauty biting distractedly on a small bouquet of forget-me-nots, anguished and furious over a love affair gone wrong.

Sandys' Pre-Raphaelite painting has all the elements of the Brotherhood's concept of woman: a victim. She is alone, left to bear the brunt of shared sexual transgressions, cast out into an uncaring world. Here the sensuous softness of the woman's unbound hair and the smoothness of her skin contrast with the fierceness of her expression.

"A lot of Victorian art was intended to be didactic," Anderson said. "It was trying to teach lessons about moral and religious values."