ABSTRACT

This article seeks to add to our understanding of one of the principal characters in the life of John Keats. Joseph Severn accompanied Keats to Rome and was at his bedside when the poet died. Research for the essay began with the discovery of a painting in 1993. The Infant of the Apocalypse Caught up to Heaven occupied ten years of Severn’s life. Its star-crossed history provides an intriguing narrative, epitomising the irreverence towards Severn’s stature as an artist. This altarpiece in the Papal Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls, and many other acclaimed paintings by Severn displayed in galleries worldwide, challenge the received wisdom that Severn’s fame resulted entirely from his relationship with Keats. Finding the missing painting in Rome thirty years ago initiated this essay.

摘要

本文旨在加深我们对约翰·济慈一生中的主要人物之一的理解。约瑟夫·塞文陪同济慈前往罗马，并在济慈去世时陪伴在他的床边。这篇文章的研究始于1993年发现的一幅画。《天启婴儿升天》占据了塞文一生的十年时间。它的命运多舛的历史提供了一个有趣的叙述，集中体现了对塞文作为艺术家地位的不敬。城外圣保罗教皇大教堂的这幅祭坛画，以及塞文在世界各地画廊展出的许多其他广受赞誉的画作，都挑战了塞文的名气完全源于他与济慈的关系这一普遍看法。三十年前在罗马寻找失踪的画作引发了这篇文章。