F.G. Stephens
- Artist: William Holman Hunt
- Date: 1847
- Medium: Oil paint on mahogany
- Dimensions: support: 203 x 175 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “F.G. Stephens” by William Holman Hunt, painted in 1847. The work is a small oil on mahogany portrait of Frederic Stephens, one of the Pre‑Raphaelites who was both a painter and a keen art critic. Stephens was well‑known for his striking appearance and often posed for his fellow artists. In the early years of the Brotherhood, they struggled to earn a living, and one member, Thomas Woolner, even left for Australia. To keep their camaraderie alive, they created a series of portraits of one another to send to Woolner while he was away. This painting is part of that intimate circle. Hunt’s brushwork is meticulous, capturing Stephens’s thoughtful gaze and the subtle play of light across his features, a quiet testament to the Brotherhood’s dedication to realism and moral seriousness.
See it in person
F.G. Stephens is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
