Eyre Crowe (1824-1910)

Medium: oil

Exhibited: Royal Academy, 1870

Original caption: ‘If by accident she met a person going to execution, his life was granted him’

This painting was chosen as a prize by a winner in the Art Union of London lottery. It has subsequently come up for auction once, at Sotheby’s in Toronto on 10 December 1981.

The Graphic, 23 April 1870

The historical fact that it, in the days of ancient Rome, a criminal chanced by good fortune to meet on his way to execution one of the vestal virgins, he immediately had his irons struck off, and received a full pardon, is illustrated by Mr. Eyre Crowe in a picture, which, apart from its dramatic power, will possess an archaeological interest in all its details highly valuable and attractive.

Athenaeum, 21 May 1870:

Mr. Crowe’s picture The Vestal (965) represents a vestal exercising her privilege of redeeming from death a person whom she might meet on the way to execution. The Virgin rides under a canopy, in a splendid, elaborately-cushioned pilentum, decorated with crimson and gold, and drawn by noble horses: she is dressed in white, crowned, and carries a palm: she is attended and guarded: a Christian has crossed her path, and she has claimed his release. He kneels, amazed at the event, and hails his deliverer; his dress is dark, with a white cross on the breast; about him stand guards, some with the standard of their legion and other symbols. There is much brightness in this picture, capital workmanship, complete telling of the story, and excellent drawing; nevertheless, it is injuriously affected by a certain hardness of the whole, and the opacity of parts which should be lucid. The expressions have been studied with honourable care and success.

Illustrated London News, 28 May 1870:

Mr. Eyre Crowe’s ‘Vestal’ (965) … [is] rendered less interesting and impressive than may fairly be expected … by a certain commonplace feeling, which denies beauty and grace even where most desiderated.

Art Journal, June 1870:

‘The Vestal’ (965) by E. CROWE, assails the eye by raw crudity and violent contrast. The flesh is of brick-dust, and the general colour glaring. Throughout, delicacy has been sacrificed to power.

Art Journal, September 1870:

The gallery of the Institute of Water-colour Painters, in Pall Mall, was opened for a short period last month to allow of an exhibition of the pictures selected by the winners of prizes at the last drawing of the Art-Union of London… There is scarcely a bad picture in the whole collection, which numbers 106; and we noticed fewer ‘mistakes’ than ordinary; strange to say, these are chiefly noticeable among the more important prizes – in other words, better pictures than those selected might, we believe, have been purchased for the same money. Mr. C.R. Melick, the winner of the £200 prize, chose from the Royal Academy Mr. E. Crowe’s ‘The Vestal’, a work that in no way commended itself to us, either as a composition or for colour: in the latter quality it is lamentably deficient, especially as regards harmony.