Tate Britain Prints and Drawings Room

The Tate Britain is an art museum located in London, it contains works of art from 1500 to present day. The Tate Britain was founded in 1897 when Sir Henry Tate wanted to donate his large collection of 65 works of art to the National Gallery in London. His collection contained many Pre-Raphaelite pieces by artists such as John William Waterhouse and John Everett Millais. Unfortunately, at the time the National Gallery did not have any room for his large donation. So, as a result, a campaign for a new gallery began. Sir Henry Tate donated an additional 80,000 pounds, the National Gallery donated a selection of artwork and the Tate was founded.

I wanted to visit the Tate Britain because they own the largest collection of John William Waterhouse paintings and preliminary pieces. The have four paintings and two preliminary water-colors. The four painting include- The Lady Shallot from 1888, Saint Eulalia from 1885, The Magic Circle from 1886 and Consulting the Oracle from 1884. This is impressive since most of Waterhouse’s works are either in private collections or spread amongst other galleries individually. In addition to these four paintings the Tate also possesses two preliminary studies of the Saint Eulalia and Consulting the Oracle. The only painting on view at the time on my visit was Saint Eulalia in part of the walk-through gallery, and the only study available to view in the Prints and Drawing room was the study for Consulting the Oracle.

My visit to the Tate began in the Prints and Drawing room. Since the studies were not on display, I was able to request a viewing of them. This was easy to set up, I just had to email the Prints and Drawing room, explain my situation and request and appointment. When I arrived at my appointment the watercolor study was already set up at a desk for me on an easel. I was allowed to take notes while studying the piece, and I could take photographs (below).

           

Watercolor study of Consulting the Oracle 

         Overall, I had a great experience in the Prints and Drawings room. It was really exciting to be able to see something that was not on display in the gallery. The room was also very quiet, which made it a great atmosphere to study and take notes. 

Sources:
https://www.tate.org.uk/