1868
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Nicola Pisano: design for a mosaic in the Museum (the 'Kensington Valhalla') is a 1868 oil by Frederic, Lord Leighton, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts a man standing in front of an arched backdrop, dressed in a long red robe with a black undergarment and a red cap. He holds a small statue in his right hand. The man's attire and the statue he holds suggest a sense of importance and reverence. The artist's use of color and composition draws the viewer's attention to the subject. This painting is reminiscent of the work of artists associated with the Realism movement, who sought to accurately depict everyday life and people.
Nicola Pisano is depicted in a full-length portrait wearing a red cloak and holding a small male figure. He stands against a gold background on a plinth adorned with ionic scrolls bearing his surname. The mosaic was part of the "Kensington Valhalla," a series of life-size artist portraits commissioned between 1862 and 1871 for the South Court arcade niches of the South Kensington Museum. The project included figures from fine and applied arts, reflecting the museum’s expanded canon of great artists.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Leighton, Frederic, Lord (1830–1896) was an artist.
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