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Frederic, Lord Leighton: Styles & Techniques of Britain’s Most Lauded Artist
A masterpiece by one of the great Victorian painters was once lost and now restored to its former splendour
Flaming June is visually striking and one of the most revered works of Victoriana. Painted by Frederic, Lord Leighton it was first exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1895 and, 130 years later, returned to welcome 2025. While on loan from the earthquake-damaged Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, it has been restored to reveal its original lustre and fiery luminosity.
There are painterly effects that cannot be appreciated via a print or a screen. The delicate translucency of the orange gown’s diaphanous fabric seems ready to ripple sensuously in the slightest summer breeze. The distant sea shimmers and sparkles as if magically animated. This clever effect was achieved by horizontal brushwork, incised to create lots of tiny ridges to which Leighton added a glossy varnish. The illusion of sparkling ripples is the result of the viewer’s smallest movements as their gaze roams the image.
It is now renowned as one of the great paintings of the Victorian era and considered priceless, but this wasn’t always the case. It was once lost and, when rediscovered, was assessed as worthless by the…
