George Frederic Watts, Alexander Constantine Ionides and Euterpe Ionides with their Children, 1840

Portraiture
a couple posed with their four children around them

G F Watts, Alexander Constantine Ionides and his Wife Euterpe with their Children, 1840, oil on canvas

Watts Gallery Trust
This lively family scene was one of the most ambitious group portraits of George Frederic Watts's early career. It depicts the young family of a successful Greek textile merchant, Alexander Ionides. He had recently gained British citizenship, and commissioned this portrait to hang in the family home in South London. The two eldest boys are clothed in traditional Greek dress to celebrate their Greek heritage. Ionides was a keen art collector, and became one of George's most important early patrons.

Picture talk

Adopted by Jamie and Julia Korner.

Further information for this object:

Gallery Guide Collections Database

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