No. 1

OPHELIA

Ophelia was the daughter of Polonius from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Although loved by Hamlet, Ophelia ignores and eventually betrays him. Then descending into madness by the death of her father, she is depicted here singing before she drowns in a river. Ophelia’s pose (her open arms and upwards gaze) resembles traditional portrayals of saints and martyrs. The painting is known for its depiction of the detailed flora of the river and the riverbank, stressing the patterns of growth and decay in a natural ecosystem. The flowers shown floating on the river were chosen to correspond with Shakespeare’s description of Ophelia’s garland. However, they also reflect the Victorian interest in the “language of flowers”, according to which each flower carries a symbolic meaning. The prominent red poppy (not mentioned by Shakespeare’s description of the scene) represents sleep and death.

Sir John Everett Millais, Bt 1829-1896, was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The work was not widely regarded when first exhibited at the Royal Academy, but has since come to be admired for its beauty and its accurate depiction of a natural landscape. Ophelia has been estimated to have a market value of around £30 million.

 

No. 2

THE LADY OF SHALOTT

This masterpiece shows a scene from Lord Alfred Tennyson’s 1832 poem of the same name, in which the poet describes the plight of a young woman isolated under an undisclosed curse in a tower near King Arthur’s Camelot. According to legend, the lady was forbidden to look directly at reality; instead she was doomed to view the world through a mirror, and weave what she saw into tapestry. Her despair was heightened when she saw loving couples in the far distance, and she spent her days and nights aching for a return to reality. One day she saw Sir Lancelot passing on his way in the reflection of the mirror, and dared to look out at Camelot, bringing about a curse. The lady escaped by boat during an autumn storm. As she sailed towards Camelot and certain death, she sang a lament. Her frozen body was found by the knights and ladies of Camelot. The tapestry she had woven during her imprisonment was found draped over the side of the boat.

John William Waterhouse, 1849-1917, was born in the city of Rome. He was an English artist who was most famous for his paintings of female characters from Greek and Arthurian mythology. He has been referred to as the “modern Pre-Raphaelite”, and incorporated techniques borrowed from the French Impressionists into his work.

 

SIZE OF FINISHED PUZZLES:

1,000 piece: 50 x 66.5cm or 19 3/4" x 26 1/4"

webmaster@projectkells.com

© M. W. Heasman 1993-2010. All Rights reserved. Patented, Designs Registered & Trade Marks.