Frederick Sandys (1829 - 1904)

Born in Norwich in 1829, Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys was the son of a professional painter. Frederick attended the Government School of Design in the city. The patronage of a Norfolk clergyman, James Bulwer, enabled Sandys to develop his draughtsmanship and technical skill.

Sandys first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851. An etching of his which parodied a work by Millais, brought him into contact with the Pre-Raphaelites, and he struck up a friendship with Rossetti, whose female subjects he emulated in oil and chalk, culminating in 'Morgan le Fay' and 'Medea'. 'Medea', became a cause celèbre when rejected by the Royal Academy in 1868. The two artists fell out in 1869, but were reconciled by 1874. From the late 1860s onwards, Sandys lived with Mary Jones (the actress Miss Clive). The two lived as man and wife and had ten children.

In 1860 Sandys made his first design for illustration. His natural gift for linear design and expressive composition earned him more acclaim than any of his Pre-Raphaelite contemporaries as a master of 'black and white'. After 'Medea', he painted rarely in oils, turning instead to coloured chalks. A notoriously slow worker, Sandys was often in financial difficulties, but was aided by patrons. In 1898 he was a founder member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers. Sandys died in London on 1904.