B.
No place like Rome
Behind the scenes
And so to Rome to see, among other things, the grave of Joseph Severn.
Joseph Severn Portrait of John Crossley of Scaitcliffe M.A. Todmorden. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented by Mrs Turnbull 1981
As well as being the creator of this work from our collection, he is best remembered as the deathbed companion of poet John Keats. He lived a further 58 years after Keats's death in 1821, but requested that he be buried alongside his friend in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.
On a hazy winter's morning last week, this beautiful location, all well-tended lawns and weed-free gravel paths was a jewel of calm and order in the centre of a famously busy and noisy city.
Related
Collection
Joseph Severn Portrait of John Crossley of Scaitcliffe M.A. Todmorden
Joseph Severn is best-known for his friendship with John Keats and the portraits he made of him before the poet’s death in Rome in 1821. Severn’s portrait of Todmorden landowner and barrister John Crossley was brought to New Zealand by descendants of his heir and nephew, early Canterbury sheep farmer Croslegh Dampier-Crossley.
(Out of Time, 23 September 2023 – 28 April 2024)