
This was Leighton's final work and was left unfinished in his studio when he died. Clearly autobiographical in its choice of subject, the work is invested with a personal symbolism and raw emotion that is almost unparalleled in the artist's output. The subject is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses about the heartbroken nymph Clytie who, rejected by Apollo, spent nine days in a wild and isolated place watching as her former lover drove his chariot of the sun across the sky. She neither ate nor drank and as pallor spread over her body, she became rooted to the ground and began to take on the form of a flower. This is the first mature work by the artist to enter the collection at Leighton House. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Clytie, c. 1895
Date supported
2008
Medium and material
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
156 x 137 cm
Grant
82500
Total cost
420000

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