The Mirror by John William Godward

A hushed sensuality and absolute linear purity characterize this masterful exploration of the standing partial nude inserted into a Roman dressing room. In the masterpiece named “The Mirror”, the independent creator John William Godward delivers an intimate vision of extraordinary linear and decorative refinement. The work prefigures the attraction to a voluptuous and noble Antiquity, favoring the beauty of the female bodily curve and the richness of precious marbles over any narrative anecdote.

A young woman with long, dark wavy hair is depicted standing facing forward in the center of the pictorial composition, calmly fixing the audience. She is entirely enveloped in a fine, pleated and diaphanous cream-yellow tunic, fitted under the bust by a brilliant gold ribbon whose ends fall vertically. With her raised left hand, she holds a golden circular mirror to contemplate her reflection, while her right hand rests delicately on her swept-up hairstyle. She stands on a pavement of multicolored geometric marble tiles, before a tall white wall framed at the top by two carved caryatids in red terracotta. A heavy turquoise blue drapery hangs on the left.

The artist’s pictorial mastery reaches a pinnacle in the incredibly smooth and porcelain-like treatment of the skin through the pleating of the transparent silk. His expert use of oil paint creates silky reflections and a tactile realism of rare perfection in the rendering of the polished marble veins. This exceptional artisanal expertise bears witness to an absolute virtuosity.