Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, later known as Marie Spartali Stillman, was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter of Greek descent. Born on March 10, 1844, in the United Kingdom, she is arguably the greatest female artist of that movement. During her sixty-year career, she produced over one hundred works, contributing regularly to exhibitions in Great Britain and the United States.
Early Life and Training
Marie Spartali Stillman studied under Ford Madox Brown for several years from 1864, along with his children Lucy, Catherine, and Oliver. Her first sitting for
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was in 1867. He wrote to Jane Morris on August 14, "I find her head the most difficult I ever drew. It depends not so much on real form as on a subtle charm of life which one cannot recreate." She was the most intellectual of his models.
Artistic Career
Marie Spartali Stillman's artistic career spanned over six decades, during which she produced numerous works that were exhibited in various galleries and museums. Her subjects were typical of the Pre-Raphaelites: female figures; scenes from Shakespeare, Petrarch, Dante, and Boccaccio; also Italian landscapes. She exhibited at the
Dudley Gallery , then at the
Grosvenor Gallery and its successor, the
New Gallery ; at the
Royal Academy ; and at various galleries in the eastern United States.
Some of her notable works include
"A Vision of Fiammetta" ,
"Dante's Dream" , and
"The Bower Meadow" . She also modelled for
Burne-Jones in his famous painting
"The Mill" .
Personal Life
In 1871, Marie Spartali Stillman married American journalist and painter William J. Stillman, who was a foreign correspondent for
The Times . They had three children together. She died on March 6, 1927, in Ashburn Place, South Kensington.
Important details about her life can be found at https://WahooArt.com/@/Marie-Spartali-Stillman, where you can also find more information about her artwork and exhibitions. Some of her paintings are also featured on WahooArt's website, such as
"The Bower Meadow" , which is a great example of her Pre-Raphaelite style.
- Marie Spartali Stillman was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter of Greek descent.
- She studied under Ford Madox Brown for several years from 1864.
- Her first sitting for Dante Gabriel Rossetti was in 1867.
- She modelled for Burne-Jones, Julia Margaret Cameron, and Spencer Stanhope.
- She married American journalist and painter William J. Stillman in 1871.
Marie Spartali Stillman's legacy as a Pre-Raphaelite artist can be seen in her numerous works, which continue to inspire art lovers today. Her use of color, composition, and technique has made her one of the most important female artists of her time. You can find more information about her life and artwork on https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/O/A@D3CL2X or visit
WahooArt to learn more about other famous artists and their works.