Miss Mary Kirkpatrick Brunton

1843

First prize in the Parliament murals competition

His drawing “Caractacus”, submitted to the competition for murals in the new Houses of Parliament at Westminster, wins Watts a first prize of £300 and his first public attention. He ends up contributing little to the murals themselves, but the experience gives rise to his vision of a building covered in frescoes about the spiritual and social development of humanity.

1843–1847

A long stay in Italy funded by the prize

The prize money pays for a long stay in Italy, which lasts until April 1847. There he begins to paint landscapes and is inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel.

1843–1847

Friendship with Lord and Lady Holland

During his Italian stay Watts becomes close to the British ambassador Henry Fox, 4th Baron Holland, and his wife Augusta, visiting their homes, Casa Feroni and the Villa Careggi in Tuscany. For them he paints a portrait of Lady Holland, shown in 1848, and — after experimental studies in the medium — a fresco at the villa.