Attrib. Sir Frederic William Burton RHA The Death of Lucretia

An original early 19th-century watercolour painting, Attrib. Sir Frederic William Burton RHA, The Death of Lucretia.

This beautifully painted watercolour derives from a collection of works owned by the Burton family of Clifden House, near Corofin, Co Clare, Ireland dating from around the 1830s. The most notable member of the family was the eminent Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir Frederic William Burton RHA (1816–1900), whose initials are on backing paper to the watercolour at the lower right. Burton worked in watercolours throughout his career, apparently not liking the smell of oils—no oils by him are known—and he was a master in the medium. Drawing on his background as a miniaturist, he would work meticulously, building up depth in small, delicate brush-strokes, modelling the faces in subtle hues and adding gum arabic for intensity in darker areas. It is not known which Burton family member wrote the initials: many members of the family contributed to the collection including Mary, Charles Frederick, Jane Anne, John, and 'E.W. Burton Snr Esq of Clifden', who was F.W. Burton’s eldest brother, Edward William Burton of Clifden House.

This dramatic narrative scene, depicting the tragic death of the Roman noblewoman Lucretia, displays affinities with artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Its historio-literary subject and its intensely detailed naturalism are qualities shared with the work of Pre-Raphaelite artists, in whose circle Burton worked when he moved to London in 1858.

The revolutionary moment of Lucretia's suicide has been captured in art throughout the ages. According to Roman tradition, Lucretia was raped by Sextus Tarquinius (Tarquin) and her subsequent suicide precipitated a rebellion that overthrew the Roman monarchy and led to the transition of Roman government from a kingdom to a republic. Historical accounts of the event differ in their detail; here the focus is on the personal tragedy, as Lucretia is cradled by her husband Collatinus, his devastation written into his posture, the tragedy too much to bear.

In watercolour with gum arabic to intensify the colour. On paper laid down on a backing paper of the same size, further laid down on backing sheet.