Innocence

Thomas Cooper Gotch (1854 - 1931)

Falmouth Art Gallery

circa 1904

This work is a representation of innocence and experience as well as being a portrait of Gotch's daughter. Gotch explained it as the child 'standing alone and unafraid in the innermost, horridest home of the Dragon, called the World, who is powerless against her innocence'. The artist spent a substantial amount of time researching the dragon in books on heraldry and the result is a major contribution to symbolist painting. Gotch's daughter became the Marquise de Verdieres, and established a successful career as a concert singer. In later life she played a leading and energetic role in stopping the Newlyn slum clearances by the council, thus retaining the Cornish town's picturesque charm which is still enjoyed today.

• Medium: watercolour on paper
• Dimensions: 23 x 19cm
• Art Fund Grant: £20000 ( Total: £32,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2010
• Vendor: Private collector

Provenance

Hugh Harman, 1904; private collection, Australia; Maas Gallery; Private collection. Sold through Rupert Maas. The work has been vetted by the Art Loss Register.

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