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Preparatory sketch for 'Salem' by Sydney Curnow Vosper, 1909

Description

'Salem' (a portrait of Siân Owen, Ty'n-y-fawnog), is Sydney Curnow Vosper's most famous work. The finished painting was bought by William Heskith Lever for the Lady Lever Art Gallery, and was subsequently reproduced in the publicity for Sunlight Soap. The painting's considerable popularity, particularly within the industrial communities of south Wales, has been attributed to the nostalgia it evoked for a rural way of life which was rapidly disappearing.

Another interesting feature of the finished painting is the old lady's shawl which is said to conceal a devil's head within its paisley pattern. Some have argued that the caricature of the devil was an attempt to portray the vanity and hypocrisy of some Nonconformists. The artist himself, however, denied that this was ever deliberate.

Owner:
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Creator:
Sydney Curnow Vosper
License information:
Reproduced by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Copyright Details:
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery 2002
Publisher Ref:
GTJ01552
Item uploaded:
5/2/2010
Date originally created:
1909
Views:
4064
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