Publish by Gazette Drouot International

In this portrait, the Victorian painter elevated his wife to iconic status, portraying her as the legendary green-sleeved courtesan who possibly inspired a famous ballad by King Henry VIII.

“Greensleeves“ (“Manches vertes" in the language of Molière) is the rather prosaic title of one of England's most popular love songs. Many mysteries surround it: not only is the precise identity of its composer unknown, but the identity of the woman it celebrates is also obscure. Legend has it that this ballad—a declaration of love to a mysterious woman who wore green sleeves— was composed by none other than Henry VIII (1491-1547), a monarch famous for reasons other than his love of pretty verse. It is even said to have been dedicated to his second wife, Anne Boleyn (1501-1536), whom the king loved so much that he had her beheaded for adultery... So it is unlikely that the king wrote this song, especially as the first printed version did not appear until 1580 in London, over 30 years after Henry’s death, and over 40 after the queen’s! Be that as it may, the ritornello was a great success during the Elizabethan period (Shakespeare mentions it in his tragedies) and well into the 20th century, when it inspired various singers like Jacques Brel and Leonard Cohen. So it is hardly surprising that it influenced Victorian artists, particularly the Pre-Raphaelites. In 1863, Dante Gabriel Rossetti produced his own vision with My Lady Greensleeves, now in the Harvard Art Museums. The painting in question here is the work of another artist close to this movement: Charles Edward Perugini.


Perugini excelled as a portraitist, and here he offers a symbolic vision of his wife, herself a talented artist.


Painting Emotions
Dating from c.1880, this painting is remarkable in more ways than one. Firstly because of its quality, and secondly because it marks Perugini's first appearance on the French market, as Artnet has no record of any other sales in France! “He is an artist who sells well in New York and London, and even in Italy," says expert Éric Schoeller. “But as far as I know, there are no records of any sales in France.” A first that could be a good omen, especially since it is a famous picture. "The current owner, a leading French collector, obtained it in London from a major auction house in 1984. He fell in love with the work and bought it immediately before the sale, without even knowing who the artist was. What is really surprising is that it is not listed anywhere, and no-one know what happened to it before 1984. And yet you find a lot of reproductions online in the form of posters and the like.” It must be said that the style is extremely appealing. Here, Perugini shows his wife Kate (1839-1929) in three-quarters view against a background of flower and plant motifs like a brocade hanging: she is dressed in Renaissance fashion, in a green velvet dress with wide sleeves in a similar shade, and holds an ostrich feather fan. The eldest daughter of the writer Charles Dickens (she was afraid of being considered only for her family connections), and a talented artist in her own right, she earned a fine reputation with her paintings of children. A member of the Society of Women Artists, she exhibited at the Royal Academy several times. Her husband, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Charles Allston Collins, died in 1873, and she married Perugini the following year. They had a happy marriage and, a fact unusual enough at the time to be significant, Charles Edward never tried to restrict his wife's creativity, encouraging her to paint and show her works under her own name. Perugini's portrait of his wife is symbolic and iconic," says the expert. Painting her as the legendary woman in green sleeves of the song was a sign of his great affection for her. Little is known about Charles Edward Perugini. Born in Naples in 1839 to an Anglophile Italian family, he moved to London at the age of six and became an English citizen. Eleven years later, his drawings were noticed by Horace Vernet, who recommended that he study in Italy. So in 1853 the young boy went to Rome, where he was taught by Bonolis and Mancinelli, and met Lord Frederick Leighton (1830-1896). He then moved to Paris and entered the studio of Ary Scheffer, painter to King Louis-Philippe. Perugini reunited with Leighton, who took him under his wing and became his chief patron, introducing him to John Everett Millais. Perugini was noticed by the Royal Academy, where his talent won him many admirers. He particularly excelled as a portrait painter. To quote the London Times obituary of December 23, 1918: "Elegance, purity and correctness of draughtsmanship, perfect refinement and dignity, grace and charm, delicacy in colour, and the tenderness of harmonious line: these are the qualities of his academic art [...]. Perugini's art reflected his nature.” All this is reflected in this portrait of Kate Perugini: a true declaration of love as vibrant as the song that inspired it.


Charles Edward Perugini (1838-1918)
Presumed portrait of Katherine Dickens as "Greensleeves", c. 1880
Oil on canvas, monogrammed "CEP" on the bottom right
114.5 x 76.5 cm./44.9 x 29.9 in.
Estimate: €30,000/50,000

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