“Una and the Lion” by William Bell Scott, 1811-90 (original) (raw)

Una and the Lion

William Bell Scott

1860

Oil on canvas

36 x 28 inches (91.5 x 71.2 cm).

Collection of the National Gallery of Scotland, accession no. NG2367. Creative Commons CC by NC.

When it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1860 it received faint praise from the critic of The Athenaeum, likely F. G. Stephens: “We expected a much better picture from Mr. W. B. Scott than Una and the Lion (474). A very small Una, whose mild, not to say inane, look would astonish Spenser, leads a very large lion. The beast’s mane is in a state of permanent erection, so that he looks more like a magnified porcupine with ‘fretful quills’ than fair Una’s ‘unruly page.’ The whole work is faint, crude, and weak in colour – needs grandeur and dignity of both maid and beast.” (Athenaeum, No. 1699, (May 19, 1860): 689). Scott returned to the picture much later in life when he retouched various parts, including Una’s face and dress, perhaps prompted in part by the earlier criticism. — Dennis T. Lanigan