John Everett MillaisRegno Unito, 1829–1896The Ghost at the Wedding Ceremony
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Dove si trova «The Ghost at the Wedding Ceremony» oggi? Collezione: Victoria and Albert Museum, Londra. Non esposta al momento. Verificato 25 settembre 2026.
Londra, Regno Unito
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Sull’opera
Ostensibly, the subject of this drawing is the division of lovers by death. Inscribed 'I won't, I don't', it represents a bride seeing the spectre of a former sweetheart, clutching his broken heart as he rises up behind her bridegroom. It may, however, allude to the marriage of Effie Gray (who once owned the drawing) to John Ruskin in 1848. At the date that the drawing was made, she and Millais were in love. Her marriage was annulled in 1854 and they married the following year. The figure on the right could be Ruskin's father, a dominating man who tried to run his son's life, and the ghost Ruskin's grandfather, who committed suicide. It is an image of great intensity, remarkable for its convincing rendition of the natural and supernatural. The drawing is, however, unfinished. Perhaps the subject became too painful for Millais to pursue.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Scheda
- Numero di inventario
- E.244-1947
Che cosa raffigura
In catalogo
Fonti
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Immagine: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Nella vita di John Everett Millais
Tutta la vita1851–1852
Elizabeth Siddal sits for “Ophelia”
For Ophelia (1851–52), his best-known painting, Millais portrayed Rossetti’s beloved Elizabeth Siddal as the heroine. The dense, elaborate pictorial surface, weaving the figure into the natural world, has been described as a kind of “pictorial eco-system”.
1853
Elected an associate member of the Royal Academy
In 1853 Millais was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
summer 1853
A summer at Glenfinlas: falling in love with Effie Ruskin
In the summer of 1853 John Ruskin and his wife Effie invited Millais to spend the summer with them at Glenfinlas, where Millais and Effie fell in love. Effie modelled for his The Order of Release; her marriage to Ruskin, which had lasted several years, was annulled after her parents realised something was wrong and she filed for annulment, and Millais and Effie then married.
3 luglio 1855
Married: Effie Gray
1855–1857
After his marriage he changes manner: faster and dearer
Marriage changed Millais: to support his growing family he began to paint more quickly and in greater quantity and to sell his pictures dearly, moving away from Pre-Raphaelite principles. Effie became a powerful promoter of his work, and together they secured commissions and widened their circle; he gained great popularity and a fortune (up to £30,000 a year), while William Morris and other critics accused him of selling out.
![Study of a Pottery Jug [recto], John Everett Millais, c. 1842](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/bd3617b6-ebda-468c-9b54-142851ab029e/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
