Wehnert, Edward Henry (1813-68; English)
Death of Jean Goujon 1847
Watercolour, c. 78.74 x 104.14 cm
Purchased, 1874
Present location unknown
The artist, of German heritage, favoured historical subjects; he is best known now for his illustrative work, and also for having taught the young Millais.
A wood engraving of the present composition, by Wehnert’s associate William Linton (1812-97), appeared in the Illustrated London News, 15 May 1847: see reproduction below.
NGV 1905 indicates that French sculptor and architect Jean Goujon died in the St Bartholemew’s Day Massacre in 1572, but this legend is no longer accepted; he was a Huguenot, but probably died some years earlier.
[comparative photo: wood engraving published in 1847]
Refs.
AR 1874, p.36; NGV 1894, p.46 (II.Stawell Gallery, no.21: size given as 31 x 41 inches); NGV 1905, p.43 (II.Stawell Gallery, no.23) [£52/10]
For Wehnert, see Bénézit 14, p.733 (listing the present work); Mallalieu (1976), p. 273; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._H._Wehnert; and http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/wehnert/bio.html. For the wood engraving by Linton, see e.g. http://www.amazon.com/SCENE-DEATH-GOUJON-WEHNERT-FAMILY/dp/B003LPADQC; and for Jean Goujon (c.1511-66?), see e.g. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Goujon