Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

Jane Odiwe viewing the Rice portrait in Paris There's a new article on the Rice portrait - see the website dedicated to the fascinating story behind this portrait. I was lucky enough to see this portrait for myself in Paris, and I can't wait to tell you about the exciting new evidence that has emerged in recent weeks. As it states in the article, new evidence , which has just come to light, will unambiguously give grounds for a reappraisal of the Ozias Humphry attribution, the date of the portrait and the identity of the sitter . 'Not previously scrutinised, the Emery Walker plates have produced significant corroboration of the view that we have propounded for a number of years. This new information will shortly be announced in the media, but we can now say that it is significant enough to bind together all the separate strands of evidence that make up our case .'      The 1910 photograph of the Rice portrait of Jane Austen I shall reveal all as soon as I a...

Identifying Ozias Humphry's work is not always easy, especially when his signature is not always to be found on a piece of artwork. And even when it is there, it's often so lightly painted in as to hardly be seen. This is certainly the case in the Craven and Granard portrait, which can be found in Berkeley Castle , seen on the left here. Fortunately, it is recorded on the top right hand corner that the artist is Humphry, but he also signed the portrait just under the hem of Lady Craven's skirt. Although I have a blown up picture of this signature, it is difficult to see, being almost exactly the same tone as the stone underneath her feet, and is too small to show on this blog. This is a stunning oil painting with a dramatic sky that features so often in Humphry's work. This next drawing is of the artist Gavin Hamilton, and is a perfect example of how easily Humphry's work has been overlooked. This was previously thought to be a self-portrait, but has now been reco...

Ozias Humphry, Self-Portrait I don't think it's any secret that I've always been a great admirer of the 'Rice Portrait', so when I was contacted recently by the owner, Mrs. Henry Rice, I was incredibly thrilled. She and her brother, Mr. Robin Roberts, have been working tirelessly in their quest to find out more about the painting, to reinforce its existing provenance as the only known oil portrait of Jane Austen painted by Ozias Humphry. Over the next few weeks I shall be bringing news of their exciting discoveries, as well as a painting believed to be of the Austen family that could well be described as a 'Conversation Piece'! I thought it best to talk a little first about Ozias Humphry himself, to give a little background to the artist's life, and to show his connections to the Austen family. On Wednesday, I will be showing you some of the different types of work he produced, looking in particular at examples of his varied artwork including drawin...