Lady with a Dove (Madame Loeser)
- Artist: John Brett
- Date: 1864
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 610 x 457 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Lady with a Dove (Madame Loeser)” by John Brett, finished in 1864. The sitter, Jeannette Loeser, was a member of the English‑Florentine intellectual circle and was romantically involved with Brett until early 1865. Brett began painting her portrait in Rome in early 1864, capturing a mature profile and subtle grey hair with the naturalism he admired in Renaissance art, and then finished the work in London in August that year.
The composition is carefully balanced. The dove perched on her arm echoes the curved line of her skirt, and a matching dove motif appears on a mosaic brooch on her shoulder. These symbols of peace and love hint at the intimate relationship between artist and model. At each corner of the frame, cherubs with wings look on as if admiring her beauty, adding a playful, almost cherubic quality to the overall scene.
Brett, a Pre‑Raphaelite, spent winters in Florence exploring the beauty of the Renaissance. This painting reflects that influence—rich detail, delicate color palette, and a reverence for classical themes. The dove and cherubs, together with the gentle interior setting, create a portrait that feels both tender and reverent, offering a glimpse into a personal romance set against a backdrop of 19th‑century artistic tradition.
See it in person
Lady with a Dove (Madame Loeser) 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.
