Pre-Raphaelites and Italy

This important book, which accompanies a major exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, is the first to explore the fascination of the Pre-Raphaelite painters with Italy: its landscape, art and culture. Covering the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the broadest sense, from its foundation in 1848 to the second generation (including Burne-Jones and Crane), it also includes the works of a group of English artists known as the Etruscans, who were followers of the Italian painter Giovanni Costa. Ruskin, whose awareness of Italy was both imaginative and visceral and who made numerous trips to Italy throughout his life, emerges as a key influence on the relationship of the Pre-Raphaelite painters to Italian culture. In addition to his writings, including the monumental Stones of Venice, Ruskin's own drawings provide a personal record of his engagement with the places he visited. Featuring full-colour illustrations of the 138 paintings in the exhibition, including works in private collections not previously reproduced, The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy examines the relationship of the Pre-Raphaelite brothers to Italy and to each other in a fresh and original way and will be essential reading for all students of 19th-century art and culture.