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Sir George Frampton RA, Lamia
Sir George Frampton RA, Lamia

Lamia, 1899-1900

Sir George Frampton RA (1860 - 1928)

RA Collection: Art

With its use of polychromatic materials and melancholic subject matter of the femme fatale, Lamia epitomises the ideals of the late 19th century Symbolist movement. Frampton's figure is not the sorceress of classical tradition but the Lamia of John Keats's eponymous poem (1819).

Keats's Lamia is a beautiful serpent-like creature who assumes female form to win the love of the mortal Lycius. When her true nature is exposed at their wedding, she vanishes and her husband dies.

Frampton's bust is composed of various materials. The skin is made of ivory and the clothing of bronze. The costume is decorated with opals, symbolic of shifting passions and ill fortune.

Object details

Title
Lamia
Artist/designer
Date
1899-1900
Object type
Sculpture
Medium
Ivory, bronze, opals, glass
Dimensions

610 mm x 553 mm x 254 mm

Collection
Royal Academy of Arts
Object number
03/1723
Acquisition
Given by Meredith Frampton RA 1938 and Lady Frampton 1938
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