Portrait of a Lady Known as Smeralda Bandinelli (after Botticelli)

Herringham painted at least ten copies of paintings by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510), whose work underwent a ‘rediscovery’ in Britain in the late nineteenth century. By the beginning of the twentieth century his popularity was so widespread that it led one critic to refer to the ‘peculiarly English cult’ of Botticelli.

The original portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli was owned by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82) between 1867 and 1880. Although he attempted to create his own copy of the painting in oil he was unsuccessful. Herringham later stated that he would have found it ‘easy’ if he had used tempera instead.

Herringham produced this copy while the original was owned by the Pre-Raphaelite patron Constantine Ionides (1833-1900), before he gifted it to the V&A.

Presented to Bedford College by Sir Wilmot Herringham, 1918. Acquired on the merger with Bedford College, 1985. P0451