Originally exhibited at the Royal Academy' Summer Exhibition in 1895, the year before Leighton died, Flaming June is one of the most important works by Sir Frederic Leighton. Almost 128 years after it was first shown at the RA, Leighton’s Victorian masterpiece returned to Piccadilly, where we went to see the show while in London. Having visited Leighton House in Holland Park a few years ago, we explored the artists extraordinary home and collections, so we were very keen to see this iconic painting. Displayed alongside additional works from the RA Collection, his contemporaries, those which inspired him and those which he in turn influenced, the show was wonderfully inspiring.
Painted during the end of the 19th century, when Leighton, the then-President of the RA, was enjoying recognition as one of the period’s most admired artists, Flaming June is a vivid fusion of old and new. With its neoclassical leanings and pose borrowed from Michelangelo’s sculpture Night in Florence’s Medici Chapels, the scene typifies Leighton’s reverence for historic tradition and technique, while tapping into the peculiarly Victorian taste for gorgeous, comatose women.
Across from the RA is Fortnum & Mason — one of our personal favourites. Having made reservations for lunch, we toodled around for a while before heading down to the F&M Wine Bar nestled on the Lower Floor Food Hall. Beginning with a glass of champagne, we shared Day Boat Fish Goujons with chips and seaweed tartare sauce, a crisp mixed lettuce salad, followed by the cheese board featuring a selection of British cheese, including Westcombe Cheddar, Rachel Goat's Cheese and Beauvale Blue served with cracker bread, celery and Fortnum's delicious Chutney, before taking the tube back to Sloane Square to prepare for dinner at Daphne's, an exquisite and fashionable restaurant in the heart of Chelsea.
Staying at The Draycott in London, Sloane Square was our local tube stop
and stepping off point for exploring London
Statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds reigns in the RA courtyard, being The Royal Academy’s first president, he was considered the leading portrait painter of his day and a key figure in the Academy
José Pizarro at the RA is the acclaimed chef's first restaurant in the heart of Mayfair, bringing together his two biggest loves – food and art
Cappuccino to start the day at the RA
Royal Academy’s Collection Gallery featuring Lord Leighton's Flaming June
Asleep, the woman is unmoored, drifting mysteriously in her gleaming gilt frame
- 'Flaming June' by Lord Frederick Leighton (c.1895) -
Flaming June is inspired by a stone cold masterpiece, Michelangelo's statue of Night in the New Sacristy in Florence
Self Portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds (c.1780), founding president of the Royal Academy
Palette with colours set by Sir Joshua Reynolds for Mary, Marchioness of Buckingham
when she made a copy of his famous portrait of Sarah Siddons as the 'Tragic Muse'
Sir Joshua Reynold's portrait 'of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse' of eighteenth century Shakespearean actress Sarah Siddons
Constable's 'Flatford Lock, a Path by The River' (c.1810)
Travelling watercolour box owned by J.M.W. Turner, R.A. (c. 1842)that he used when painting outdoors often on the lid of his paintbox
Prior to the 19th-century, dry pigments were mixed with oils by hand such as this colour box containing phials of powdered paint
Design for a poster for the RA Summer Exhibition in 1936 by Dame Laura Knight RA
Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, one of our favourite stops and just across from the RA
Fortnum's Piccadilly was taken over by a spectacular canopy of seagulls, flying through their iconic atrium as they try to sneak a taste of the enormous ice cream cone below
Enormous iced cream cone on lower level
We were captivated by Fortnum's outdoor barbecue in their iconic Eau de Nil blue-green hue, for just £65 — it was so tempting
Also bought some delicious F&M shortbread for nibbling on in Chipping Camden, where we were leaving shortly to stay for 3 weeks
The Wine Bar at Fortnum & Mason, a hidden gem nestled within the famous
Lower Ground Floor Food Hall, with an enviable wine list
Glass of Fortnum’s Coronation Brut Selection, Jacques Picard NV
Day Boat Fish Goujons with chips and seaweed tartare sauce
Mixed Leaf Salad with house dressing
London Sourdough Bread with Ivy House Butter
Westcombe Cheddar, Rachel Goat's Cheese and Beauvale Blue served with cracker bread, celery and Fortnum's Chutney
Fortnum & Mason Fish Pie
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Fortnum & Mason
2 lb floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 oz unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus a little extra for the mash
7 oz smoked haddock
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 oz salmon fillet, skinned and diced
3 1/2 oz fine green beans, cut in half
2 oz plain flour
5 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
7 oz cooked Atlantic prawns
1 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt & fresh ground black pepper
Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and mash over a low heat. Beat in half of the butter and season well, adding a drop of milk if the mash is too stiff.
Poach the smoked haddock by putting it in a pan with the milk and bay leaves and bringing it to a gentle simmer. Remove from the pan and flake the flesh into chunks. Discard bones and save the milk for later.
Steam the diced salmon and cod for 4-5 minutes, until just cooked through. Cook the green beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water to preserve the beans' colour.
Melt the remaining butter in a pan and stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes over a gentle heat. Strain the warm milk into a jug and gradually add it to the roux, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce. Then simmer for a few minutes, season to taste, and stir in the chopped parsley.
Pour a little of the sauce into 4 individual pie dishes, or one large dish. Divide the fish, beans and prawns equally, and cover with the sauce and allow to cool until it sets. Finally, top with the mashed potato, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake in an oven heated to 350°F for roughly 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the pie is heated through and serve immediately.
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