William Holman Hunt (1827-1910)

The Afterglow in Egypt

Holman Hunt was a founder member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and his paintings are marked by the group's preference for bright colours and painstaking detail. Their emphasis on realism, especially in religious paintings, and the tackling of moral and political subjects was sometimes shocking to Victorian audiences.

Hunt travelled to Egypt in 1854 and began this painting at Memphis, its historic capital. He used a local girl as a model. She wears traditional dress, jewellery and tattoos and carries water and wheat perhaps as a symbol of fertility, echoed in the abundant fields beyond. Hunt said he aimed to capture the spirit of ancient Egypt in modern times.

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