A historical
genre picture of the type so popular in the 19th
century. This painting was a private commission. The use of a
Civil War Setting also appealed to early Victorian taste. The
basic theme is love across the boundaries of politics, with the
Puritan Girl, and the Royalist fugitive, who was modeled by
the very young Arthur Hughes. The drapery painting of the
girl’s dress, particularly the skirt, shows that in this area
Millais was in a league of his own. The picture was painted in
rural Kent, and the oak was known for long afterwards as the
Millais Oak. The oak tree is a symbol of the stoicism and
bravery of the English.
Purchase
a hand painted reproduction from Kings Galleries
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