This was the case with the painting illustrated right, Propitiating the Deity, 4ft 11in by 3ft 3in (1.5m x 99cm), painted by Long on commission for Agnew & Son in 1889. Whichever deity it is, the lotus flower clearly plays a significant role in its worship, since it appears as a motif in the female’s robe as well as in her basket and the decoration of the temple.
Characteristic of Long both in depiction and subject matter, the three-quarter length portrait of a woman in an exotic setting recently made an appearance in Finland, where it has been consigned for sale at Hagelstam, who will be offering the picture in their Helsinki rooms on November 30.
Long lost – and found
The paintings of Edwin Long (1829-1891) are well known to London’s gallery visitors, since there are works by him in both the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Academy, but many of his works have long been lost or forgotten.
