Frederick Sandys: Morgan-le-Fay, 1863

image courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust

Frederick Sandys (1829-1904) was the son of a painter, and was educated at the Norwich School of Design. He began his career as a portrait painter and antiquarian illustrator, exhibiting at the Norwich Art Union even as a boy. He moved to London in 1851 and worked as a draughtsman for wood engravers. He became associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and developed a friendship and shared a house with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who pronounced Sandys as "the greatest living draftsman."  Sandys' powerful and sensual images of female beauty and his iconic renderings of alluring and mysterious women are uniquely his own.

Morgan Le Fay, a powerful female figure in the Arthur legends, represents control, sorcery, and manipulation. She uses underhanded, often manipulative methods to create her power. During King Arthur's reign, and in various romances and folk tales, Morgan shows up as a shape-shifter. She is a fairy, a queen, a mermaid, a beautiful young woman, a crone, a hag, an enchantress or a witch. In some accounts, Morgan has a bad reputation; she is evil, sexual, a temptress. Elsewhere, Morgan is a heroine. The inconsistency of the research material available makes it difficult to pinpoint who Morgan Le Fay actually was. But one thing is for certain: Morgan is a woman of mystery.

the above text appears on the back of the card
HC-1517: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)