paintingses: In the Grove of the Temple of Isis (detail) by John William Godward (1861-1922) oil o
paintingses: In the Grove of the Temple of Isis (detail) by John William Godward (1861-1922) oil on canvas, 1915 In the Grove of the Temple of Isis depicts a voluptuous young woman on the steps leading to a temple. She does not appear to be a priestess and her loose toga and stola tied at the waist, bound hair and tambourine suggest that she is a dancer contemplating the devotional festivities that will take place after night falls in the sacred grove. Beside her and amongst the blossom of an almond tree is the carved bronze figure of a lion based upon the marble decorations of the famous fountain in the centre of Piazza del Popolo in Rome, which was close to the Villa Strohl Fern where Godward had stayed during a period painting in Rome. The painting epitomises the vogue for ladies in togas which held middle-class London under its enduring spell well into the twentieth century. Technically superb, with gorgeous colour and a sensual suggestion of pagan revelry, In the Grove of the Temple of Isisexemplifies the very best of Godward’s work. [source] -- source link