Cordelia Parting from her Sisters

1854

Ford Madox Brown

(British, 1821–1893)

Culture

England, 19th century

Medium

pen and oil on paper on panel

Measurements

Framed: 30.5 x 36.8 x 3.5 cm (12 x 14 1/2 x 1 3/8 in.); Unframed: 19.5 x 26.5 cm (7 11/16 x 10 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift in memory of Helen Borowitz 2013.261

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Location

203B British Painting and Decorative Arts

Did You Know?

In 1861, Ford Madox Brown became a founding member of William Morris’s decorative arts company. Besides painting, he also designed stained glass and furniture.

Description

Reimagining English history was one way that Victorian (1837–1901) artists rooted themselves during a period of tremendous social and political change and life-altering technological advances. Ford Madox Brown’s expressive and vividly colored sketch for an unrealized project takes a story from Britain’s most famous playwright, Shakespeare. The artist chooses the dramatic moment when King Lear’s daughter Cordelia parts ways with her sisters.