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Parting from betrothed
(Le Départ du fiancé)
1864
Medium
oil on wood panel
Measurements
71.2 × 57.8 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased by the Commissioners of Fine Arts for Victoria, 1864
Gallery location
19th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Like a number of other works in this room, by Bedford, Herdman, Van Schendel, Tschaggeny, and Vibert, Le Départ du fiancé was acquired for the NGV by Sir Charles Eastlake, Director of the National Gallery, London, in 1864. When the painting arrived in Melbourne the following year, the Illustrated Australian News described it as: ‘another parting scene. A young girl is standing at the door way and bidding adieu to her lover. The street filled with troops indicates his destination … There is a sombre air pervading the picture, but the sentiment of the two young hearts is effectively rendered’.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in brown paint l.c.l.: G. Koller. 1864.
Accession Number
p.300.17-1
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Relationships and Interactions
Subjects (specific)
armour (protective wear) couples departures longing lovers Medievalism warriors weapons
Provenance
With Ernest Gambart (dealer), French Gallery, London, 1864; from where purchased for the NGV, 1864.
Exhibited: Fine Arts Gallery (Compartment 10), Intercolonial Exhibition, Melbourne, 1866, no. 307; The First Collections, University Gallery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 1992, no. 8.
Frame
A fluted scotia, classical revival frame from mid nineteenth century. This is more than likely the frame in which the painting was acquired in 1864. Frames like this were common from the 1860’s through the 1880’s. In some the fluted scotia was carved in the timber as here, in others it was laid in as sections of pressed composition. The leading edge torus would be composed of laurel and berry or oak and acorn, the mitred scotia corners more often covered with broad acanthus leaves as here.
The gilding of this frame is a mixture of matt and burnished, the torus is centred top and bottom but not on the sides.
Frames of this type formed the basis of John Thallon’s frame making business in Melbourne in the late 1870’s.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Unknown - 19th century
Date
1864
Materials
timber, composition and gold leaf
Frame Condition
good original condition