Henry William Pickersgill RA, The Oriental Love Letter

The Oriental Love Letter, 1824

Henry William Pickersgill RA (1782 - 1875)

RA Collection: Art

H.W. Pickersgill's Diploma Work reflects a growing European interest in oriental subject matter in the first half of the 19th century. Scenes from the harem were particularly intriguing to the Victorian public and Pickersgill's wife Maria published Tales of the Harem in 1827 .

The woman dressed in richly embroidered clothing has just received a bouquet of flowers which are a symbolic, and possibly clandestine, 'love letter'. The emblematic possibilities of various flowers was alluded to in verses by Lord Byron quoted in the catalogue when the painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1824:

' …The token-flowers that tell

What words can never speak so well

By love's alternate joy and woe …'

Object details

Title
The Oriental Love Letter
Artist/designer
Date
1824
Object type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions

1426 mm x 1118 mm

Collection
Royal Academy of Arts
Object number
03/1364
Acquisition
Diploma Work given by Henry William Pickersgill RA accepted 1826

Associated works of art

1 results

return to start
back

Start exploring the RA Collection

read more
  • Explore art works, paint-smeared palettes, scribbled letters and more...
  • Artists and architects have run the RA for 250 years.
    Our Collection is a record of them.
Start exploring