![Simeon Solomon - Bacchus 1867 (28456089720)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Simeon_Solomon_-_Bacchus_1867_%2828456089720%29.jpg)
Gaetano Giuseppe Faostino Meo (1849, Basilicata, Italy – 16 January 1925, London, United Kingdom) was an Italian-British
artist's model
An art model poses, often nude, for visual artists as part of the creative process, providing a reference for the human body in a work of art. As an occupation, modeling requires the often strenuous ' physical work' of holding poses for the requ ...
, landscape painter, and a noted craftsman in
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
and stained glass.
His unpublished autobiography is a useful source for art historians of the
Aesthetic Movement
Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century which privileged the aesthetic value of literature, music and the arts over their socio-political functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be prod ...
and
Edwardian Era
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
.
Model
He was a son of Rocco Meo, an Italian shepherd of Greek descent whose surname was probably a diminutive version of Bartolomeo,
and Maria Francesca Meo (nee Pignone).
He had at least three elder brothers and a younger sister, and grew up in the town of
Laurenzana
Laurenzana ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata (southern Italy). It rises on a spur between the torre Camastro and the wood surrounding the Serrapotamo valley.
History
Laurenzana's origins ...
, in
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
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...
, southern Italy.
[Simon Reynolds, "Gaetano Meo," in Jill Berk Jiminez, ed., ''Dictionary of Artists' Models'' (Chicago, IL: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2001), pp. 368-370.] In 1864, Meo (age 15) and an older brother walked from
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Playing harp and lute, they supported themselves as street musicians while saving money for passage to the United States.
By 1866, Meo was posing as an artist's model in Paris.
The pair lacked
passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
s, and were smuggled into the United Kingdom aboard a freighter from
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
.
Meo remained in London, but his brother continued on to America.
Alone in London, Meo sought to play his harp in Italian restaurants, a safer place than
busking
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
in the streets, where he was more likely to be arrested by police, and deported.
[Patrick Rogers, "Cathedral Mosaicists – Gaetano Meo," ''Oremus: Westminster Cathedral Magazine'', no. 217 (September 2016), pp. 14-15]
(PDF)
/ref> Pre-Raphaelite
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...
painter Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon (9 October 1840 – 14 August 1905) was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire. His career was cut short as a result of public scandal following h ...
claimed to have discovered the 18-year-old playing harp in the streets. "Meo represented a form of classical southern beauty much sought after in paintings of scenes from Greek mythology." In 1867, in Rome, Solomon painted a three-quarter-length watercolor of another model dressed as Bacchus
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...
.[Simeon Solomon, ''Bacchus'', Sotheby's Auctions, London, 12 July 2018, Lot 1]
/ref> That same year, in London, he painted a head-and-bust oil portrait of Meo as Bacchus.
Meo posed for other British painters such as Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
, Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...
, Luke Fildes
__NOTOC__
Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (3 October 1843 – 28 February 1927) was a British painter and illustrator born in Liverpool and trained at the South Kensington and Royal Academy Schools. He was the grandson of the political activist Mar ...
, Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is part of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.
Life Early years and training
Holiday was born ...
, Henry Holland (1839–1927), Frederic Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
, Edwin Long
Edwin Longsden Long (12 July 1829 – 15 May 1891) was a British genre, history, biblical and portrait painter.
Life and works
Long was born in Bath, Somerset, the son of James Long, a hairdresser, (from Kelston in Somerset), and was edu ...
, George Heming Mason
George Heming Mason (11 March 1818 in Stoke-on-Trent – 22 October 1872 in London) was a British landscape painter of rural scenes, initially in Italy, then England itself. He was also known as "George Mason" or "George Hemming Mason".
Li ...
, William Blake Richmond
Sir William Blake Richmond KCB, , PPRBSA (29 November 184211 February 1921) was a British painter, sculptor and a designer of stained glass and mosaic. He is best known for his portrait work and decorative mosaics in St Paul's Cathedral in ...
, Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
, and sculptor Hamo Thornycroft
Sir William Hamo Thornycroft (9 March 185018 December 1925) was an English sculptor, responsible for some of London's best-known statues, including the statue of Oliver Cromwell outside the Palace of Westminster. He was a keen student of classi ...
. By 1870, he was also working as Rossetti's studio assistant.
Male models in England generally insisted on wearing loincloths, but Meo would pose fully nude. In his autobiography, Meo contrasted how models were treated in France versus England:
In Paris the artists treated their models as friends, they were regarded as fellow workers in a great undertaking, coadjutors to whose dramatic and artistic co-operation the artists were greatly indebted. After work, the artist and his model dined together and talked, and the model, if intelligent, learnt much of Art. … But English artists were different, as a rule they treated their models as dirt! Not so Richmond and Rossetti, and Burne Jones – God bless him! – they treated their models as human beings.
Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones used his mistress, Maria Zambaco
Maria Zambaco (29 April 1843, London – 14 July 1914, Paris), born Marie Terpsithea Cassavetti ( el, Μαρία Τερψιθέα Κασσαβέτη, sometimes spelled Maria Tepsithia Kassavetti or referred to as Mary), was a British artist and m ...
, and Meo as the models for ''Phyllis and Demophoön'' (1870). In the legend from Ovid
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
's ''Heroides
The ''Heroides'' (''The Heroines''), or ''Epistulae Heroidum'' (''Letters of Heroines''), is a collection of fifteen epistolary
Epistolary means "in the form of a letter or letters", and may refer to:
* Epistolary ( la, epistolarium), a Christi ...
'', Phyllis
Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to:
People
* Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper
* Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist
* Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress
* P ...
was the daughter of the King of Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...
, and Demophoön the son of King Theseus
Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes describe ...
of Athens. On the day after their wedding, Demophoön departed for his father's land, promising to return for his bride. Phyllis would go to the shore each day to watch for his ship, but it never came. Finally, in despair, she hanged herself and the gods transformed her into an almond tree
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
. When Demophoön finally did return, he remorsefully embraced the almond tree and it burst into bloom. The gods took pity on Phyllis, and transformed her back into a woman. Burne-Jones's innovation was to portray the moment of transformation, when the branches entangling Demophoön suddenly become the arms of Phyllis embracing him.[Stephen Wildman and John Christian, "Catalogue – 48. Phyllis and Demophoön," in Metropolitan Museum of Art, ''Edward Burne-Jones, Victorian Artist-Dreamer,'' (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1998), pp. 136-138.] "When the painting was exhibited at the Old Watercolour Society for the 1870 Summer Exhibition, great controversy followed, partially because of Burne-Jones' affair, but also as a result of Demophoön's nudity. Due to the numerous complaints, Burne-Jones withdrew the painting from the exhibition two weeks after the opening." Burne-Jones later painted another version in oil, ''The Tree of Forgiveness'' (1881-1882),[The Tree of Forgiveness, 1882](_blank)
from Liverpool Museums. with Phyllis emerging fully nude from the trunk of the tree, and Demophoön's genitals covered by drapery.
William Blake Richmond
The extremely close, nearly 50-year friendship between Meo and William Blake Richmond began with a mysterious incident. In 1872, Meo arrived unannounced at Richmond's country house seeking modeling work. He encountered a beautiful woman inside the back door, who pointed the way to the painter's studio. Meo came to believe that the woman had been the ghost of Richmond's first wife, Charlotte, and took it as an omen that the two men were intended to work together. Meo became Richmond's principal model, studio assistant and student. He likely posed for the three muscular angels guarding the funeral bier of a shrouded female corpse in ''The Watchers''—thought to be Richmond's elegy
An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...
to Charlotte. Meo later assisted Richmond on murals, acted as his business manager in negotiations with clients, and for more than ten years led the team that executed his mosaics at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Works for which Meo posed
*Simeon Solomon, ''Bacchus'' (oil on paper, 1867), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
*Simeon Solomon, ''The Sleepers and One that Watcheth'' (watercolour, 1867), Leamington Spa Art Gallery, Warwickshire, UK
*Simeon Solomon, ''A Prelude by Bach'' (watercolour, 1868), private collection
*Dante Gabriel Rossetti, '' Dante's Dream at the Time of Beatrice's Death'' (watercolour, 1869-1871), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
**Rossetti painted an 1880 version in oil, now at the McManus Gallery
The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum is a Gothic Revival-style building, located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history ...
, Dundee, UK.
*Simeon Solomon, ''A Youth Relating Tales to Ladies'', (1870), Tate Britain, London
*Edward Burne-Jones, ''Phyllis and Demophoön'' (watercolour, 1870), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
**Burne-Jones painted a variation of this in oil, ''The Tree of Forgiveness'' (1881-1882), now at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK.
*Frederic Leighton, ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'' (mural, 1870-1872), Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, London
*Edward Burne-Jones, ''Love Among the Ruins Love Among the Ruins may refer to:
Literature
* "Love Among the Ruins" (poem), a poem by Robert Browning
* ''Love Among the Ruins. A Romance of the Near Future'', a novel by Evelyn Waugh
* ''Love Among the Ruins'', a novel by Warwick Deeping
* ''L ...
'' (watercolour, 1870-1873), private collection
**After the watercolour was damaged, Burne-Jones painted a larger version in oil (1893-1894), now at Wightwick Manor
The legacy of a family's passion for Victorian art and design, Wightwick Manor (pronounced "Wittick") is a Victorian manor house located on Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Owned by the National Trust since 1937, the Manor ...
, West Midlands, UK.
*Edward Burne-Jones, ''The Feast of Peleus'' (1872, reworked 1881), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
*George Heming Mason, ''The Harvest Moon'' (1872), Tate Britain, London
*Luke Fildes, ''Fair, Quiet and Sweet Rest'' (1872),[Caroline Dakers, ''The Holland Park Circle: Artists and Victorian Society'', (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999), p. 217.] Warrington Museum & Art Gallery
Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is on Bold Street in the Cultural Quarter of Warrington in a
Grade II listed building that it shares with the town's Central Library. The Museum and the Library originally opened in 1848 as the first rate-sup ...
, Warrington, UK
*Edward Burne-Jones, ''Dies Domine'' (watercolour, 1873-1874), unlocated. Burne-Jones portrayed Meo as Christ seated at the Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
.
**''Dies Domine'' was copied as a stained-glass window (1876) for the Church of St. Michael and St. Mary Magdelene, Easthampstead, Berkshire, UK
**A photogravure of ''Dies Domine'' was published in 1900.
*William Blake Richmond, ''The Watchers'' (1873-1876), private collection
*Frederic Leighton, ''Eastern Slinger'' (1875)
*Edward Burne-Jones, ''Le Chante d'Amour'' (''The Love Song'') (1877), Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, New York City
*William Blake Richmond, ''The Song of Miriam'' (1880), Chi Mei Museum
The Chimei Museum () is a private museum established in 1992 by Shi Wen-long of Chi Mei Corporation in Rende District, Tainan, Taiwan. The museum's collection is divided into five categories: Fine arts (including painting, sculpture, decorative ...
, Taiwan
*Lawrence Alma-Tadema, ''An Audience at Agrippa's'' (1881), Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, UK
*Henry Holiday, ''Dante and Beatrice
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
'' (1883), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK. Holiday used another model for Dante's hands.
*Hamo Thornycroft, ''The Mower'' (bronze, 1888-1890), Tate Britain, London
*William Blake Richmond, ''Venus and Anchises'' (1890), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
File:Solomon Sleepers 1867 Ford plate 19.jpg, Simeon Solomon, ''The Sleepers and One that Watcheth'', 1867, Leamington Spa Art Gallery, Warwickshire, UK. (Meo is the man on the right)
File:Simeon Solomon - A prelude by Bach (1868).jpg, Simeon Solomon, ''A Prelude by Bach'', 1868, private collection
File:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice (1871).jpg, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ''Dante's Dream on the Day of the Death of Beatrice'', watercolour, 1869-1871, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
File:Simeon Solomon - A Youth Relating Tales to Ladies - Google Art Project.jpg, Simeon Solomon, ''A Youth Relating Tales to Ladies'', (1870), Tate Britain, London
File:Arts of Industry as Applied to War.jpg, Frederic Leighton, ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'', mural, 1870-1872, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
File:Burne-jones-love-among-the-ruins.jpg, Edward Burne-Jones, ''Love Among the Ruins'', watercolour, 1870-1873, private collection
File:George Mason - The Harvest Moon - Google Art Project.jpg, George Heming Mason, ''The Harvest Moon'', 1872, Tate Britain, London
File:Edward Burne-Jones - The Feast of Peleus - Google Art Project.jpg, Edward Burne-Jones, ''The Feast of Peleus'', (1872, reworked 1881), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK
File:The Love Song MET DP323394.jpg, Edward Burne-Jones, ''The Love Song'', 1877, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
File:Richmond Song of Miriam 1880 Life & Work opp. p.16.jpg, William Blake Richmond, ''The Song of Miriam'', 1880, Chi Mei Museum, Taiwan
File:An Audience at Agrippa's, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.jpg, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, ''An Audience at Agrippa's'', 1881, Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, UK
File:Henry Holiday - Dante and Beatrice - Google Art Project.jpg, Henry Holiday, ''Dante and Beatrice'', 1883, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
File:William Blake Richmond - Venus and Anchises - Google Art Project.jpg, William Blake Richmond, ''Venus and Anchises'', 1890, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Artist
Painting
Under William Blake Richmond's instruction, Meo became a proficient landscape painter and exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
. He assisted Richmond on the frescoes of Christ Church, Cheltenham (1893–95).
The Public Catalogue Foundation lists four paintings by Meo in public ownership in the United Kingdom. ''Looking towards London from the Heath''; ''Tooley's Farm''; and ''Wyldes Farm'' are in the collection of the Camden Council. ''Arundel Castle, West Sussex, Looking from the Back of the Railway Station'' is in the collection of Eastbourne's Towner Gallery
Towner Art Gallery is located in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England.
It hosts one of the most significant public art collections in the South of England and draws over 100,000 visitors a year. It was described by ITV News a ...
.
Stained glass
Henry Holiday may be best known as the illustrator for Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
's ''The Hunting of the Snark
''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony in 8 Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight por ...
'' (1876). "Holiday was chief designer for the stained-glass makers James Powell & Sons (Whitefriar's Glass) from 1863 to 1891, and from 1875 he employed Meo in his cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
s." By 1880, Meo had become Holiday's assistant, helping to execute his stained-glass designs.
Holiday and Richmond jointly sponsored Meo for British citizenship, that was granted in 1888. To celebrate Meo's naturalization, Holiday hosted a party, that was attended by friends, artists and art patrons, including the Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
. Holiday wrote satirical lyrics, tailored to Meo and set to a Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
song from ''H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...
''. From the piano, Holiday performed his verses to "He Is an Englishman," and led all in singing the choruses.
Meo assisted Richmond on stained-glass windows for the apse of St. Paul's Cathedral, including the great arched east window behind the high altar. (Richmond's windows were destroyed in 1940, during The Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
of World War II.)
Meo also assisted Richmond on three stained-glass windows for the Lady Chapel of Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street (1905–10).
Meo designed and executed the east window for the Church of St. Saviour (1902-1904), in St. Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...
, Hertfordshire, UK.
Mosaics
In the 1880s, Powell & Sons appears to have sent Meo to Italy to study the mosaics of Ravenna, Venice, Sicily and Rome.
In 1891, Richmond was approached about painting murals for St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Instead, Richmond proposed mosaics, arguing that the cathedral's 17th century architect, Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
, had intended them for its interior decoration, and that mosaics would survive for centuries.[Helen Lascelles, "The Life and Work of Sir W. B. Richmond, K.C.B., R.A." ''The Christmas Art Annual'', (London: H. Virtue & Company, December 1902).] The following year Richmond received the design commission to create neo-Byzantine mosaic murals for the walls and ceiling of the cathedral's choir and apse.[Mosaics in the quire](_blank)
from St. Paul's Cathedral. "Richmond chose to abandon the flat surface of mosaicists like Salviati, in favour of a more vibrant treatment, based on the use of jagged, irregular glass, set at angles to the plaster, so that it would catch the light." The commission was expanded in 1902 to include mosaics for the barrel-vaulted choir aisles and quarterdomes. For nearly twelve years, Meo led the team of craftsmen executing the mosaics in the ancient method, laying the glass piece by piece in situ
''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...
into the drying plaster. The entire mosaic schedule was completed in 1904.
Meo exhibited a mosaic panel of roses at the 1904 World's Fair
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, USA.
Executing the designs of architect Halsey Ricardo
Halsey Ralph Ricardo (1854–1928) was an English architect and designer.
He established his practice in 1878, and for 10 years worked in partnership with William De Morgan (1839–1917), for whom he designed tiles, vases, and other artefacts ...
, Meo supervised creation of the large mosaic dome for the hall of Debenham House
Debenham House (or Peacock House) at 8 Addison Road is a large detached house in the Holland Park district of Kensington and Chelsea, W14. Built in the Arts and Crafts style by the architect Halsey Ricardo, it is a Grade I listed building.
...
in London, 1912-1913.
Executing the designs of Scottish architect Robert Weir Schultz
Robert Weir Schultz (26 July 1860 – 29 April 1951), later Robert Weir Schultz Weir and known as R. W. S. Weir, was a Scottish Arts and Crafts architect, artist, landscape designer and furniture designer. He did much work on the Isle of Bute ...
, Meo led the team in creating the mosaics for the Chapel of St. Andrew and the Saints of Scotland at Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.
The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
, 1913-1915.Chapel of St. Andrew and the Saints of Scotland
from Westminster Cathedral.
Executing his own designs, Meo created mosaic panels for the Church of St. John the Baptist in Clayton, West Yorkshire
Clayton, or Clayton Village, is a civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, situated to the west of Bradford city centre. It is listed in the ''Domesday Book'', meaning it dates back to at least the ...
, 1916-1918.
File:St John the Baptist, Clayton Parish Church, Altar - geograph.org.uk - 1853178.jpg, ''The Last Supper'' (1916-1918), Lady Chapel, Church of St. John the Baptist, Clayton, West Yorkshire
File:St John the Baptist, Clayton Parish Church, Altar - geograph.org.uk - 1854592.jpg, ''The Good Shepherd'' (1916-1918), over high altar, Church of St. John the Baptist, Clayton, West Yorkshire
File:St John the Baptist, Clayton Parish Church, Mosaic - geograph.org.uk - 1854587.jpg, ''Ruth Amidst the Alien Corn'' (1916-1918), Church of St. John the Baptist, Clayton, West Yorkshire
File:St John the Baptist, Clayton Parish Church, Mosaic - geograph.org.uk - 1854553.jpg, ''The Angel Gabriel and the Infant St. John'' (1916-1918), Church of St. John the Baptist, Clayton, West Yorkshire
Personal
In 1868, Meo married Agnes Morton (1849–1921), from Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
, Ireland. They set up home in Hampstead, and had six children—three sons and three daughters:
*Francesco Giovanni Luigi Meo (16 August 1872, Fulham, London – 21 January 1933, East Dulwich, London)
*Margarita Maria Agnes Meo (1876, Kensington, London – 6 March 1956, Eastbourne, London)
*Humbert James "Little Bertie" Meo (19 July 1878, Hampstead, London – 22 September 1885, Hendon, London)
*Elena Fortuna Meo (October 1879, Hampstead, London – 24 December 1957). A professional violinist, she bore three illegitimate children by married scenic designer, art director and writer Edward Gordon Craig
Edward Henry Gordon CraigSome sources give "Henry Edward Gordon Craig". (born Edward Godwin; 16 January 1872 – 29 July 1966), sometimes known as Gordon Craig, was an English modernist theatre practitioner; he worked as an actor, director and ...
(1872–1966), son of actress Dame Ellen Terry
Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...
.
*Alfonzo Giovanni Battista Meo (4 September 1890, Hampstead, London – 10 June 1916, Somme, France). Lieutenant Giovanni Meo died in World War I during the buildup to the Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
.
*Taormina Bertha Meo (1891, Hampstead, London – 1959, Eastbourne, London)
Following his wife's 1921 death, Meo created a grave marker in Hampstead Cemetery
Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode. It is j ...
that featured a glass mosaic of the Madonna and Child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
. Gaetano and Agnes Meo and their son "Little Bertie," who died at age 7, were buried there.
Film art designer and writer Edward Carrick
Edward Carrick (born Edward Anthony Craig; 3 January 1905 – 21 January 1998) was an English art designer for film, an author and illustrator.
Carrick was born in London. His father was Edward Gordon Craig, the theatre practitioner and stage d ...
—son of Elena Meo and Edward Gordon Craig—never finished his biography of his grandfather, Gaetano Meo. He dramatized portions of his manuscript for a 25 November 1994 broadcast on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
.[Marie-Jacqueline Lancaster]
Obituary: Edward Carrick
''The Independent'', 6 February 1998.
Helen Craig
Helen Craig (born 30 August 1934) is an English children's book illustrator and writer. She is best known for creating the Angelina Ballerina series of children's books with writer Katharine Holabird.
Craig was born in London, evacuated duri ...
—great-granddaughter of Gaetano Meo, and daughter of Edward and Helen Godfrey Carrick—is the illustrator of the ''Angelina Ballerina
''Angelina Ballerina'' is a children's book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig about a fictional mouse (full name Angelina Jeanette Mouseling) who is training to become a ballerina. The first book in the series was ...
'' children's stories. In 2018, she and mosaic artist Tessa Hunkin restored the Meo grave at Hampstead Cemetery
Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode. It is j ...
.
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meo, Gaetano
1849 births
1925 deaths
English artists' models
British landscape painters
British stained glass artists and manufacturers
Mosaic artists
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artists' models
Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Burials at Hampstead Cemetery