Study of Portal and Carved Pinnacles, Cathedral of St. Lô, Normandy

From his earliest childhood, John Ruskin combined wide-ranging curiosity with a capacity for intensely focused attention. His precocity was eagerly fostered by his evangelical mother and his father, a wealthy sherry merchant. They enrolled Ruskin in drawing lessons with leading artists of the day; purchased books, prints, and mineral collections for him to study; and catered to his desire for...

Utterly alone against a shadowy background, the John Ruskin depicted in Frederick Hollyer’s portrait of 1894 gazes fixedly through an unseen window (cat. 69; fig. 10). The image suggests little of the frailty, madness, and despair that plagued Ruskin in his final years, presenting a resolute figure seated in the study of his...