Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an

English painter The following is a list of notable English and British painters (in chronological order). English painters Born 16th century *George Gower (c. 1540–1596) *Nicolas Hilliard (1547–1619) *Sir Nathaniel Bacon (1585–1627) *Cornelis Janssens ...

and illustrator who was one of the founders of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest student to enter the Royal Academy Schools. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded at his family home in London, at 83 Gower Street (now number 7). Millais became the most famous exponent of the style, his painting ''

Christ in the House of His Parents ''Christ in the House of His Parents'' (1849–50) is a painting by John Everett Millais depicting the Holy Family in Saint Joseph's carpentry workshop. The painting was extremely controversial when first exhibited, prompting many negative revi ...

'' (1849–50) generating considerable controversy, and he produced a picture that could serve as the embodiment of the historical and naturalist focus of the group, ''

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

'', in 1851–52. By the mid-1850s, Millais was moving away from the Pre-Raphaelite style to develop a new form of realism in his art. His later works were enormously successful, making Millais one of the wealthiest artists of his day, but some former admirers including

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

saw this as a sell-out (Millais notoriously allowed one of his paintings to be used for a sentimental soap advertisement). While these and early 20th-century critics, reading art through the lens of

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

, viewed much of his later production as wanting, this perspective has changed in recent decades, as his later works have come to be seen in the context of wider changes and advanced tendencies in the broader late nineteenth-century art world, and can now be seen as predictive of the art world of the present. Millais's personal life has also played a significant role in his reputation. His wife

Effie Effie is a feminine given name, sometimes a short form (hypocorism) of Efthymia (Greek: Ευθυμία), Eftychia (Greek: Ευτυχία), or Euphemia (Greek: Ευφημία). Notable people with the name include: Women * Effie Bancroft (1840� ...

was formerly married to the critic

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, who had supported Millais's early work. The

annulment Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning alm ...

of the Ruskin marriage and Effie's subsequent marriage to Millais have sometimes been linked to his change of style, but she became a powerful promoter of his work and they worked in concert to secure commissions and expand their social and intellectual circles.

Early life

Millais was born in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, England, in 1829, of a prominent

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

-based family. His parents were John William Millais and Emily Mary Millais (née Evermy). Most of his early childhood was spent in Jersey, to which he retained a strong devotion throughout his life. The author

Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

once asked him "when England conquered Jersey". Millais replied "Never! Jersey conquered England." The family moved to

Dinan Dinan (; ) is a walled Brittany, Breton town and a commune in France, commune in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan. Geography Inst ...

in Brittany for a few years in his childhood. His mother's "forceful personality" was the most powerful influence on his early life. She had a keen interest in art and music, and encouraged her son's artistic bent, promoting the relocating of the family to London to help develop contacts at the Royal Academy of Art. He later said "I owe everything to my mother." In 1840, his artistic talent won him a place at the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

at the still unprecedented age of eleven. While there, he met

William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism ...

and

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

with whom he formed the

(known as the "PRB") in September 1847 in his family home on Gower Street, off

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

Pre-Raphaelite works

Millais's ''

'' (1849–50) was highly controversial because of its realistic portrayal of a working class

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...

labouring in a messy carpentry workshop. Later works were also controversial, though less so. Millais achieved popular success with ''

A Huguenot ''A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew's Day, Refusing to Shield Himself from Danger by Wearing the Roman Catholic Badge'' (1851–52) is the full, exhibited title of a painting by John Everett Millais, and was produced at the height of his Pre-Rap ...

'' (1851–52), which depicts a young couple about to be separated because of religious conflicts. He repeated this theme in many later works. All these early works were painted with great attention to detail, often concentrating on the beauty and complexity of the natural world. In paintings such as ''

'' (1851–52) Millais created dense and elaborate pictorial surfaces based on the integration of naturalistic elements. This approach has been described as a kind of "pictorial eco-system". ''Mariana'' is a painting that Millais painted in 1850–51 based on the play''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and the poem of the same name by

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

, from 1830. In the play, the young Mariana was to be married, but was rejected by her betrothed when her dowry was lost in a shipwreck. This style was promoted by the critic

, who had defended the Pre-Raphaelites against their critics. Millais's friendship with Ruskin introduced him to Ruskin's wife

. Soon after they met, she modelled for his painting ''

The Order of Release ''The Order of Release, 1746'' is a painting by John Everett Millais exhibited in 1853. It is notable for marking the beginnings of Millais's move away from the highly medievalist Pre-Raphaelitism of his early years. Effie Gray, who later left ...

''. As Millais painted Effie, they fell in love. Despite having been married to Ruskin for several years, Effie was still a virgin. Her parents realised something was wrong and she filed for an

. File:John Everett Millais - Mariana - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Mariana Mariana is a given name (the link includes a list of people of this name). Mariana may also refer to: Literature * ''Mariana'' (Dickens novel), a 1940 novel by Monica Dickens * ''Mariana'' (poem), a poem by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyso ...

'', 1851 File:Millais Order of Release.jpg, ''

'' (1852–53) Tate Britain, London File:John Everett Millais - Ophelia - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

'' (1851–52) Tate Britain, London File:Millais - Die Rückkehr der Taube zur Arche Noah.jpg, ''

The Return of the Dove to the Ark ''The Return of the Dove to the Ark'' is a painting by Sir John Everett Millais, completed in 1851. It is in the Thomas Combe collection at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The painting portrays a scene from the Bible. Two of Noah's daughters- ...

'' (1851)
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Family

In 1855, after her marriage to Ruskin was annulled, Effie and John Millais married. He and Effie eventually had eight children: Everett, born in 1856; George, born in 1857; Effie, born in 1858; Mary, born in 1860; Alice, born in 1862; Geoffroy, born in 1863; John in 1865; and Sophie in 1868. Their youngest son,

John Guille Millais John Guille Millais ( , also ; 24 March 1865 – 24 March 1931) was a British artist, naturalist, gardener and travel writer who specialised in wildlife and flower portraiture. He travelled extensively around the world in the late Victorian per ...

, became a naturalist, wildlife artist, and Millais's posthumous biographer. Their daughter Alice (1862–1936), later Alice Stuart-Worsley after she married Charles Stuart-Worsley, was a close friend and muse of the composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

, and is thought to have been an inspiration for themes in his

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

. Effie's younger sister

Sophie Gray Sophia Margaret "Sophie" Gray (28 October 1843 – 15 March 1882), later Sophia Margaret Caird, was a Scottish model for her brother-in-law, the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She was a younger sister of Effie Gray, Euphemia "Eff ...

sat for several pictures by Millais, prompting some speculation about the nature of their apparently fond relationship.

Later works

After his marriage, Millais began to paint in a broader style, which was condemned by Ruskin as "a catastrophe". It has been argued that this change of style resulted from Millais's need to increase his output to support his growing family. Unsympathetic critics such as

accused him of "selling out" to achieve popularity and wealth. His admirers, in contrast, pointed to the artist's connections with Whistler and Albert Moore, and influence on

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...

. Millais himself argued that as he grew more confident as an artist, he could paint with greater boldness. In his article "Thoughts on our Art of Today" (1888), he recommended

Velázquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...

and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

as models for artists to follow. Paintings such as ''The Eve of St. Agnes'' and ''The Somnambulist'' clearly show an ongoing dialogue between the artist and Whistler, whose work Millais strongly supported. Other paintings of the late 1850s and 1860s can be interpreted as anticipating aspects of the

Aesthetic Movement Aestheticism (also known as the aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century that valued the appearance of literature, music, fonts and the arts over their functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be produced to b ...

. Many deploy broad blocks of harmoniously arranged colour and are symbolic rather than narratival. From 1862, the Millais family lived at 7 Cromwell Place, Kensington, London. Later works, from the 1870s onwards demonstrate Millais's reverence for

Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

s such as

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

and Velázquez. Many of these paintings were on an historical theme. Notable among these are ''The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower'' (1878) depicting the

Princes in the Tower The Princes in the Tower refers to the mystery of the fate of the deposed King Edward V of England and his younger brother Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, heirs to the throne of King Edward IV of England. The brothers were the only ...

, ''The Northwest Passage'' (1874) and the ''Boyhood of Raleigh'' (1871). Such paintings indicate Millais's interest in subjects connected to Britain's history and expanding empire. Millais also achieved great popularity with his paintings of children, notably ''

Bubbles Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...

'' (1886) – famous, or perhaps notorious, for being used in the advertising of ''

Pears soap Pears Glycerin soap is a British brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807 by Andrew Pears, at a factory just off Oxford Street in London. It was the world's first mass-market translucent soap. Under the stewardship of advertising pioneer T ...

'' – and '' Cherry Ripe''. His last project (1896) was to be a painting entitled "The Last Trek". Based on his illustration for his son's book, it depicted a hunter lying dead in the

veld Veld ( or , Afrikaans language, Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch: ''veld'', field), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide-open, rural landscape in Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrubland, scrub, ...

t, his body contemplated by two onlookers.

Landscapes 1870–1892

His many landscape paintings of this period usually depict difficult or dangerous terrain. The first of these, ''

Chill October ''Chill October'' is an 1870 oil painting by John Everett Millais which depicts a bleak Scottish landscape in autumn. The painting measures . It was the first large-scale Scottish landscape painted by Millais. The work was painted ''en plein ai ...

'' (1870, Collection of

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

), was painted in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, near his wife's family home. It was the first of the large-scale Scottish landscapes Millais painted periodically throughout his later career. Usually autumnal and often bleakly unpicturesque, they evoke a mood of melancholy and sense of transience that recalls his cycle-of-nature paintings of the later 1850s, especially ''Autumn Leaves'' (

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

) and ''The Vale of Rest'' (Tate Britain), though with little or no direct symbolism or human activity to point to their meaning. John Everett Millais by J

In 1870 Millais returned to full landscape pictures, and over the next twenty years painted a number of scenes of Perthshire where he was annually found hunting and fishing from August until late into the autumn each year. Most of these landscapes are autumnal or early winter in season and show bleak, dank, water-fringed bog or moor, loch, and riverside. Millais never returned to "blade by blade"

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

, nor to the vibrant greens of his own outdoor work in the early fifties, although the assured handling of his broader, freer later style is equally accomplished in its close observation of scenery. Many were painted elsewhere in

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, near

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

and Birnam, where Millais rented grand houses each autumn to hunt and fish. ''Christmas Eve'', his first full landscape snow scene, painted in 1887, was a view looking towards Murthly Castle.

Illustrations

Millais was also very successful as a book illustrator, notably for the works of

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope ( ; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire ...

and the poems of

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

. His complex illustrations of the

parables A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whe ...

of Jesus were published in 1864. His father-in-law commissioned

stained-glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

based on them for

Kinnoull Parish Church Kinnoull Parish Church is a Church of Scotland church in the Kinnoull area of Perth, Perth and Kinross, Perth, Scotland. A "Kinnoull Church" appears in documents when it was granted to Cambuskenneth Abbey in 1361. It was rebuilt in 1779 but demo ...

Kinnoull Kinnoull is a parish in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately half a mile northeast of Perth city centre. Beginning at the level of the River Tay, which separates the parish from Perth, Kinnoull's terrain continues to rise as it cont ...

. He also provided illustrations for magazines such as ''

Good Words ''Good Words'' was a 19th-century monthly periodical established in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consist ...

''. As a young man, Millais frequently went on sketching expeditions to Keston and Hayes. While there he painted a sign for an inn where he used to stay, near to Hayes church (cited in ''Chums Annual'', 1896, page 213).

Academic career and baronetage

Millais was elected as an associate member of the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1853; a decade later in 1863, he was elected as a full member of the Academy, in which he was a prominent and active participant. In July 1885,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

created him a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Palace Gate, in the parish of St Mary Abbot,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, in the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, and of

Saint Ouen Audoin (; AD 609 – on 24 August 684), venerated as Saint Audoin, was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. He authored ''Vita Sancti Eligii'' which outlines the life and deeds of Eligius, his close friend and companion in the ro ...

, in the Island of

, making him the first artist to be honoured with a

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

Last years and death

After the death of

Lord Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classi ...

in 1896, Millais was elected President of the Royal Academy. He died later in the same year from

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

. He was buried in the crypt of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

. Additionally, between 1881 and 1882, Millais was elected and acted as the president of the

Royal Birmingham Society of Artists The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) is an art society, based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, where it owns and operates an art gallery, the RBSA Gallery, on Brook Street, just off St Paul's Square, Birmingham, St Pa ...

Legacy

When Millais died in 1896, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(later to become

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

) chaired a memorial committee which commissioned a statue of the artist.Birchall, Heather
"Sir Thomas Brock 1847–1922"
,

Tate online Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, February 2002. Retrieved 5 April 2008. The statue, by

Thomas Brock Sir Thomas Brock (1 March 184722 August 1922) was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His mo ...

, was installed at the front of the National Gallery of British Art (now Tate Britain) in the garden on the east side in 1905. On 23 November that year, the ''Pall Mall Gazette'' called it "a breezy statue, representing the man in the characteristic attitude in which we all knew him". In 1953, Tate director Norman Reid attempted to have it replaced by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

's ''John the Baptist'', and in 1962 again proposed its removal, calling its presence "positively harmful". His efforts were frustrated by the statue's owner, the Ministry of Works. Ownership was transferred from the Ministry to

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

in 1996, and by them in turn to the Tate. In 2000, under Stephen Deuchar's directorship, the statue was removed to the side of the building to welcome visitors to the refurbished Manton Road entrance. In 2007, the artist was the subject of a major retrospective at Tate Britain, London visited by 151,000 people. The exhibition then traveled to the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, followed by venues in Fukuoka and Tokyo, Japan, and seen by over 660,000 visitors in total. Millais's relationship with Ruskin and Effie has been the subject of several dramas, beginning with the silent film ''The Love of John Ruskin'' from 1912. There have also been stage and radio plays and an opera. The 2014 film ''

Effie Gray Euphemia Chalmers Millais, Lady Millais (''née'' Gray; 7 May 1828 – 23 December 1897) was a Scottish artists' model and writer who was married to Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She had previously married the art critic John R ...

'', written by

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

, featured

Tom Sturridge Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge (born 5 December 1985) is an English actor. His early films include '' Being Julia'' (2004), '' Like Minds'' (2006), and '' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Pl ...

as Millais. The Pre-Raphaelites have been the subjects of two

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

s. The first, entitled ''

The Love School ''The Love School'' (broadcast in the U.S. as ''The Brotherhood'') is a BBC television drama series originally broadcast in 1975 about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, written by John Hale, Ray Lawler, Robin Chapman and John Prebble. It was di ...

'', was shown in 1975, starring

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor. He is known for television roles including Hogarth in '' Big Breadwinner Hog'' (1969), the future King George IV in ''Prince Regent'' (1979); smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in the sitco ...

as Millais. The second was ''

Desperate Romantics ''Desperate Romantics'' is a six-part television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, first broadcast on BBC Two between 21 July and 25 August 2009. The series somewhat fictionalised the lives and events depicted. Though heavily ...

'', in which Millais is played by Samuel Barnett. It was first broadcast on

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and d ...

Tuesday, 21 July 2009.

Laurie Kynaston Laurence Stephen Kynaston (born 24 February 1994) is a Welsh actor. He won an ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his performance in '' The Son'', as well as receiving a WhatsOnStage Award nomination. On television, he starred in the BBC Two ...

portrayed Millais in the

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

adaptation of

Elizabeth Macneal Elizabeth Sarah Macneal (born 16 October 1988) is a bestselling Scottish writer. She has had three novels published, 'The Doll Factory' (2019), 'Circus of Wonders' (2021) and 'The Burial Plot' (2024). Her work has been translated into 29 languages ...

's '' The Doll Factory'' (2023).

Gallery

File:Millais, John Everett (Sir) - Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru ''Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru'' is an 1846 history painting by the English artist John Everett Millais. Millais was sixteen when he produced the work, which depicts the seizure of the Incan Emperor Atahualpa by the Spanish conquistador Fran ...

'' (1846) File:Huguenot lovers on St. Bartholomew's Day.jpg, ''A Huguenot on St Bartholomew's Day'' (1851–52) File:John Everett Millais (1829-1896) - Mrs Coventry Patmore - 1010 - Fitzwilliam Museum.jpg, Mrs Coventry Patmore (

Emily Augusta Patmore Emily Augusta Patmore ( Andrews; 29 February 1824 – 5 July 1862) was a British author, Pre-Raphaelite muse and the inspiration for the 1854–1862 narrative poem '' The Angel in the House''. Early life and education Emily Augusta Andrews w ...

) (1851)

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

File:John Everett Millais - The rescue - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Rescue'', (1855)

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, Melbourne File:Millais - Das Tal der Stille.jpg, '' The Vale of Rest'' (1858) Tate Britain, London File:Bright Eyes - Sir John Everett Millais - ABDAG003135.jpg, ''Bright Eyes'' (1877)
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection
File:John Everett Millais The Black Brunswicker.jpg, ''The Black Brunswicker'' (1860) File:Parable - The Leaven - Sir John Everett Millais - ABDAG004396.jpg, ''Parable - The Leaven'' (c.1860)
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection
File:Parable - The Hidden Treasure - Sir John Everett Millais - ABDAG004395.jpg, ''Parable - The Hidden Treasure'' (c.1860)
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection
File:Parable - The Pharisee and the Publican - Sir John Everett Millais - ABDAG004397.jpg, ''Parable - The Pharisee and the Publican'' (c.1860)
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection
File:Madeleine undressing – Eve of St Agnes, John Everett Millais.jpg, '' The Eve of Saint Agnes'' (1863)

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

File:Esthermillais.jpg, ''Esther'' (1865) Private Collection File:Millais - Vanessa, 1868.jpg, ''Vanessa'' (1868)
Liverpool Museums Service File:John Everett Millais - Chill October.JPG, ''

'' (1870), private collection File:John Everett Millais - A Flood.JPG, ''A Flood'' (1870), File:The Knight Errant b John Everett Millais 1870.jpg, ''The Knight Errant'' (1870),

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

File:John Everett Millais - The Martyr of the Solway - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Martyr of Solway'' (circa 1871),

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 ...

File:An Idyll of 1745 (Millais).jpg, ''An Idyll of 1745''. The three female artists models on the right were the sisters Lily Pettigrew (1870–1920);

Hetty Pettigrew Harriet Selina Pettigrew (9 October 1867 – 1953), commonly known as Bessie or Hetty Pettigrew, was a British artists' model and sculptor from Portsmouth. She was one of three sisters, along with Rose and Lily Pettigrew, who achieved prominence ...

(1867–1953) and Rose Pettigrew (1872–1905) File:EFFIE.jpg, ''Portrait of Effie Millais'' (1873), Perth Museum and Art Gallery File:John Everett Millais - The Yeoman of the Guard - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Yeoman of the Guard'' (1876) File:The Princes in the Tower by John Everett Millais (1878).png, ''The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower'' (1878)
Picture Gallery of

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...

File:Louise Jane Jopling (née Goode, later Rowe) by Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt.jpg, Louise Jane Jopling (1879)

National Portrait Gallery (London) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

File:Acgladstone2.jpg, ''

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

'' (1879) File:Millais - Self-Portrait.jpg, ''Self-portrait'' (1881) File:Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (by Sir John Everett Millais, 1881) - National Portrait Gallery (NPG 3241).jpg, '' Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli'' (1881)

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

File:John Henry Newman by Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt.jpg, ''

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

'' (1881)

File:Grey lady.JPG, ''The Grey Lady'' (1888)
Private Collection

Notes and references

External links

* *
National Museums Liverpool important Millais collection

Millais's ''Ophelia'' in focus on Tate Online

Tate Shots: Millais's ''Isabella''

smARThistory: ''Christ in the House of His Parents'' and ''Ophelia''
– Khan Academy
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery's Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource
includes almost 200 paintings on canvas and works on paper by Millais {{DEFAULTSORT:Millais, John Everett Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom 19th-century English painters English male painters English illustrators English people of Norman descent Artists from Southampton Pre-Raphaelite painters Royal Academicians Burials at St Paul's Cathedral Deaths from laryngeal cancer Deaths from cancer in England Artists' Rifles officers 1829 births 1896 deaths Royal Society of Portrait Painters British child artists Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)

John Everett Herbert Barnard John Everett (18 August 1876 – 22 February 1949), was an English painter. Biography Known as Herbert by his family, he was born in Dorchester, Dorset.Pre-Raphaelite illustrators 19th-century English male artists