The Bowes Museum Blog
William Holman Hunt
Saints’ days were days of celebration or commemoration, though practically they became days of feasting and entertainment. St. Agnes was martyred in Rome in 304 AD, and her feast day falls on 21st January. There was a folk belief that on the eve of St. Agnes a girl could see her future husband in a dream.
The Eve of St. Agnes (detail)
In 1820 the English poet John Keats published a poem onthe theme in which the lover appears in real life, and thepair subsequently flee.
Holman Hunt was a founder member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and in his own view the one who diverged least from their original intentions. This is one of his earliestworks, with exact depictions of Medieval costume andarchitecture.
The Eve of St. Agnes (detail)
The Eve of St. Agnes (detail)
To learn more about the Pre-Raphaelite Knights exhibitions click here.
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