A slumbering woman’s swooning repose in a strikingly orange garment strongly awaken an atmosphere of passion and palpable heat in Frederick Leighton’s masterpiece, “Flaming June.” Ironically, this piece, which did not reach its auction price of $140 in 1960, is now considered his most beloved work. President of the Royal Academy for almost 20 years, Leighton (1830 – 1896) was an exceptionally industrious and immensely skilled painter, sculptor, illustrator and writer influenced by the Nazarenes and Italian Renaissance who believed that sincerity was the wellspring of all achievement.

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