A Beryl Shrine [The Architect]
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 1887 (original) 1888 (reproduction)
Maker: William Richard Lethaby (1857-1931)
Dimensions:
Image: 388 x 224 mm (38.8 x 22.4 cm)
Sheet: 440 x 327 mm (44 x 32.7 cm)
Medium: Black printing ink on paper
Object number: R.86.3
DescriptionThe original drawing was initially intended to be an illustration to Dante Gabriel Rossetti's 'Rose Mary'. However, the image of the serpent (in Lethaby's drawing) is actually derived from a poem called 'Lamia' by John Keats. A sketch of the same serpent and a quote from Keats's poem can be found in one of Lethaby's notebooks. This image, perhaps more than any other made by Lethaby, attests to his interest in symbolism and myth. Rubens suggests that Lethaby may have been inspired by Joseph Knight (p.62, Architectural Press, 1986).
