Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
A Life Immersed in Art: The World of Rolinda Sharples Rolinda Sharples, a name perhaps less celebrated than some of her contemporaries, nevertheless occupies a significant and fascinating niche within the landscape of 19th-century British art. Born in Bath in 1793, she emerged from an exceptionally artistic family—a lineage that would profoundly shape her life and career. Her father, James Sharples, was a respected portrait painter, wh
ile her mother, Ellen Wallace Sharples, excelled as a miniaturist. This creative environment wasn’t limited to her parents; Rolinda benefited from the artistic pursuits of three brothers – George, Felix, and James Jr.—creating a household steeped in pigment, canvas, and the pursuit of aesthetic expression. The family's story is one of transatlantic movement; shortly after Rolinda’s birth, they emigrated to America, establishing a pract…