Prayer, 1859

John Phillip RA (1817 - 1867)

RA Collection: Art

John Phillip's Diploma work depicts a young Spanish woman praying with rosary beads sitting on what is probably a church step. Her torn dress, roughly woven shawl and earnest expression are thrown into contrast by the coquettish woman in the background, with embroidered shawl and decorative fan. This painting merges Phillip's interest in Wilkiesque genre scenes and his love of Spanish subjects. In the 1850s and 1860s he frequently painted works portraying rites and rituals associated with Spanish Roman Catholicism. These included 'La Gloria: A Spanish Wake' (1864; Edinburgh, National Gallery) which he considered his finest work.