Olive Leared (née Hockin) (British, 1880-1936) ‘Pan! Pan! O Pan!
About the Painting:
Olive Leared (née Hockin) (British, 1880-1936)
‘Pan! Pan! O Pan! Bring back thy reign again upon the earth!’
signed and dated ‘O Hockin/1914’ (lower right)
watercolour 62.3 x 81.3cm (24 1/2 x 32in)
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy, 1914, no. 1300.
The title of the present lot is taken from a poem by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) titled Pan-Worship, 1908. The work features a number of figures from classical mythology. There are a gathering of Naiads, or water nymphs, who in Greek mythology presided over fountains, rivers and springs. Also depicted in the lower left hand corner of the composition is the Greek god Pan playing his pipes, which he used to lure Naiads from the water to dance for his delight. These figures associated with classical Greek mythology and spirituality resonated with Hockin’s Theosophical beliefs.
