Sapphires

'Sapphires' of 1877, now at Birmingham Museums Trust, takes its title — like many of Moore's paintings — from a precious stone whose colour properties define the work's aesthetic character. The sapphire's deep blue governed the tonal and chromatic programme of the canvas, with drapery, accessories, and background orchestrated in relation to this dominant hue. Moore's practice of titling paintings after colours or materials — 'Sapphires,' 'Blossoms,' 'Beads' — was a deliberate signal that these were colour compositions first and figurative subjects second. Birmingham's collection of Victorian art is substantial, and 'Sapphires' has been in the collection long enough to stand as a canonical example of Aesthetic painting within the civic museum context. By 1877 Moore was in full command of his colour chord system and this canvas is typically cited as evidence of his most refined harmonic period.

The sapphire blue — appearing in drapery, accessories, and tonal fields — is achieved through carefully controlled layers of ultramarine and Prussian blue glazes, giving the colour depth and luminosity. The complementary warm notes are precisely calibrated to enhance rather than oppose the dominant blue, and the figure's flesh tones are adjusted to harmonise with the overall chromatic scheme.