Title: 'Study; at a Reading Desk'
Date: 1877
Media: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 63 x 72cm
Location: Sudley House, Liverpool
Picture credit: Sudley House, Liverpool
Interpretation: Leighton has transformed this traditional subject seen often in European art by including a supposed oriental setting and the exotic costume. The real subject of the painting is in Leighton's highlighting the tactile delight of luxurious, and for a British audience, 'exotic' materials.  It is likely that the Reading Desk was painted from a Koran stand in Leighton's collection.