A COLLECTION of rarely seen artworks from influential Victorian painter John Everett Millais and his wife Effie Gray are set to be displayed in Scotland for the first time.
Part of a collection of 300 artworks and other belongings, which have remained unseen for 30 years, will go on a long-term loan to Perth Art Gallery.
Millais was one of the artists known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, with Ophelia (1851-52) being one of his most significant paintings.
The collection is being donated by Millais and Effie’s great-grandson, Sir Geoffroy Millais.
He told the PA News Agency: “It feels fitting that this collection finds its home in Perth, where the story of my great-grandparents began.
“Sharing these personal treasures with the public is a way of keeping their legacy alive and offering new generations the chance to connect with their remarkable lives and work.”
The collection includes work from when Millais was just seven years old and jewellery belonging to Gray, who was born in and died in Perth.
Gray and Millais’s relationship has been heavily dramatised since the 19th century as a result of a so-called love triangle between the pair and art critic John Ruskin.
Ruskin and Gray were married for six years before annulment, with Gray going on to marry Millais one year later in 1855.
David Tennant portrayed Millais in a 1998 radio drama, The Order of Release, and in 2014 the story was adapted into the film Effie Gray, produced by Emma Thompson with Dakota Fanning in the titular role.
Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “We are honoured to be the recipients of such an important and personal collection.
“This is not only a homecoming for Effie Gray, but a celebration of Millais’ enduring connection to Perthshire and a transformative moment for the cultural landscape of our region.”
The free public display opens on July 25.
