ABSTRACT
One of the most fascinating figures to emerge from Pre-Raphaelitism is Charles Fairfax Murray, A copyist for Ruskin and apprentice in the workshops and studios of Morris, Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, he became a leading connoisseur of both Pre-Raphaelite and Renaissance art. He collected paintings, sculpture, furniture and manuscript illuminations, and during his lifetime his was one of the three best manuscript collections in Europe. Murray's career illuminates one of the most unique features of Pre-Raphaelitism and one which has escaped sustained analysis: Pre-Raphaelitism as a para-institution, the conglomerate of artists' workshops and studios call the 'Pre-Raphaelite Academy'. Murray transformed his apprenticeship into profound and durable influences on English national culture. In turn, his success demonstrates the legitimizing power of Pre-Raphaelitism after 1870. A network of clients, patrons and other artists was put at Murray's disposal, and the Pre-Raphaelite circle directed his attention and abilities toward Italian art.
