Study of Campaspe

Study of Campaspe, dated to 1896, takes its title from a figure of ancient legend: Campaspe (also called Pancaspe) was said to be the favourite concubine of Alexander the Great and the model for Apelles' celebrated lost painting of Aphrodite Anadyomene. By invoking this figure Godward connected his work to the very origins of idealised female portraiture in antiquity, while simultaneously positioning himself as a modern Apelles — the painter of ideal beauty. The 'study' designation suggests this may have been a preparatory or independent sketch-like work rather than a finished exhibition piece, perhaps made as part of Godward's ongoing practice of exploring poses and compositional arrangements before committing to larger canvases. The Campaspe reference would have been legible to Godward's educated Victorian audience, for whom classical literary mythology remained part of common cultural knowledge.

As a study, the work likely shows a less worked-up handling than Godward's exhibition pieces, with looser background passages and a more direct approach to the figure. The flesh is still carefully modelled but with fewer glazing layers, and the architectural setting is indicated rather than fully resolved, giving the composition a freshness often absent from his more laboured finished works.