‘Pan! Pan! O Pan!
Bring back thy reign again upon the earth!’
I will thrill thee back from the dead ages, thus:
Pan! Pan! O Pan! bring back thy reign again
Upon the earth!…
Numb pointed ears, ye hear
Only the wash and whisper of far waters,
The pale green waters of thin distant Springs
Under the pale green light of distant moons
Washing upon the shores of the old, old world
With a foam of flowers, a foam of whispering flowers….
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.
- Quote and Image Via Bonham’s
Image Credit: By Olive Leared [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Click for enlarged view:
At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 