Valentine Cameron Prinsep

Val Prinsep painted rich, colourful subjects from history, legend and the East, in the decorative style of the later Pre-Raphaelite circle. His pictures are full of costume, pattern and warm colour.

Born in Calcutta, he grew up in London in the artistic household of Little Holland House, where G.F. Watts was his mentor. He studied in Paris with Charles Gleyre, travelled in Italy with Burne-Jones, and helped paint the Oxford Union murals. In 1877 he travelled to India to paint the Delhi Durbar for Queen Victoria. He became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1894.

A Venetian Gaming-House in the Sixteenth Century and At the First Touch of Winter, Summer Fades Away show his love of opulent fabrics and quiet narrative.