The Eve of Saint Agnes by John Everett Millais (Interpretation and Analysis)

The Eve of Saint Agnes
Source: Wikimedia Commons

In the history of English art, there are few painters more famous or more prolific than John Everett Millais. Millais was one of the first artists in the modern age to achieve such profound success as a result of his art. Indeed, he was a baronet by the time he died. 

Millais’ wife, Effie Gray, was one of the primary drivers of his financial and social success. She was also one of Millais’ favorite models and the most important artistic muse of his career. In fact, she features prominently in several of his most famous and acclaimed paintings.

However, The Eve of Saint Agnes is the last major work that Effie modeled for. The subject of the piece is based on a poem of the same name by John Keats. The poem is based on the traditional belief that young women could see their future husband on the Eve of Saint Agnes. According to legend, the woman had to go to sleep without eating supper and perform a ritual with pins and a pincushion. Then, when she fell asleep, her future husband would appear in her dream and they would feast together. However, if the girl looked behind her at any point, the spell would be broken.

Keats’ poem is set in the Middle Ages and tells the story of a young couple: Madeline and Porphyro. Madeline performs the rite of Saint Agnes; however, when she wakes up the real Porphyro is in her chamber, and the young lovers elope together. Millais’ painting captures Madeline as she undresses for bed. Her expression is rapt as she carefully does not look behind herself to avoid breaking the spell. 

Posing for this piece was hard work. The setting of the piece is Knole Park, a Jacobean mansion; the couple travelled to the house several times for sittings. For authenticity, Millais worked at night, which meant that Effie spent her evenings shivering in her bodice in the freezing bedroom. In my opinion, this extra effort paid off. The grand, shadowy bedroom—executed with a slightly indistinct painterly brushstrokes—makes the scene seem dreamlike and adds substantially to the mood of the painting.

Although The Eve of Saint Agnes was not well received or critically acclaimed at the time of its creation, I think it is a wonderfully atmospheric piece. The image of Effie Gray as Madeline standing alone in the dark bedroom is haunting and magical. It is an ethereal masterpiece that conjures the sense of awe and anticipation that the woman in the painting seems to experience.