Needless Alarms

Leighton produced three sculptures for exhibition, of which this was the last. The subject is a young girl surprised by a toad, who sits alongside her feet. Leighton has shown the girl in the action of recoiling: her nude body gracefully bending away from the creature in an elegant arch as she peers down at her feet. The model for the figure was Lena Dene, who was the younger sister of actress, Dorothy Dene who modelled for Leighton on many occasions. The sculpture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1886 where it was much admired by artist John Everett Millais. Leighton gifted Millais a cast of the sculpture and received in return the painting Shelling Peas, which hangs in the silk room.

1886 (this cast 1897)

Bronze

51.0 x 17.0cm

LH3014

Acquired in 2007 with the generous support of The Art Fund and the ACE/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. Image and text © The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, 2020