Acme and Septimius (Leighton)
| Acme and Septimius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Frederic Leighton |
| Year | 1868 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 99 cm diameter (39 in) |
| Location | Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
Acme and Septimius is an oil painting by Frederic Leighton, first exhibited in 1868. Leighton took the subject from a love poem by the Roman poet Catullus.[1]
Background[edit]
In 1868, Leighton was elected Royal Academician, and the Academy had six contributions from his palette which fixed his reputation.[2] His style bore the strong influence of his recent visits to Greece, and projected new visions of themes which had attracted him in childhood.[2] Acme and Septimius was perhaps the most popular picture of the year in England.[3]
Description[edit]
Acme and Septimius is a circular picture, with two small full-length figures reclining on a marble bench.[3] This extract from Sir Theodore Martin's translation of Catullus 45 was appended to its title in the Royal Academy catalogue:
Then bending gently back her head,
With that sweet mouth so rosy red,
Upon his eyes she dropped a kiss,
Intoxicating him with bliss.[3]
References[edit]
Sources[edit]
- Jones, Stephen, et al. (1996). Frederic Leighton, 1830–1896. Royal Academy of Arts, London: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. pp. 63, 78, 119, 159–60, 166, 233.
- Rhys, Ernest (1900). Frederic Lord Leighton: An Illustrated Record of his Life and Work. London: George Bell & Sons. pp. 25–26, 124.
- Staley, Edgcumbe (1906). Lord Leighton of Stretton. London: The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Ltd.; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 75–76.