Nymphs in a Landscape

Leighton acquired this work by Andrea Meldolla (Il Schiavone) before 1885 and kept it with him until his death in 1896. Schiavone was born around 1510 in Zara, Dalmatia (now Zadar, Croatia), but spent most of his career in Venice. Schiavone is best known for introducing the mannerist style of painting to Venice, and for his fluid impressionistic brushwork. Leighton was heavily influenced by the rich use of colour in Venetian Renaissance art. The draperies worn by the central group of figures in Nymphs in a Landscape show clear similarities with the treatment of draperies in Leighton’s own paintings. The elongated format of this piece suggests it was originally made to decorate a cassone or wooden chest.