The Gilded Cage (De Morgan)
| The Gilded Cage | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Evelyn De Morgan |
| Year | 1901-1902 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 78.5 cm × 105 cm (30.9 in × 41 in) |
| Location | Watts Gallery, Compton |
The Gilded Cage is an oil painting on canvas by the English painter Evelyn De Morgan, from 1901-1902: it is on loan from the De Morgan Collection to the Watts Gallery.[1]
Description
In the painting, a woman looks out of a window. Her outstretched hand forms a gesture of yearning as she watches a group of dancers and musicians. The principal figure among the travelling group is a woman who dances while holding her baby, suggesting that the scene also represents maternal duty. Broken jewellery and a book lie on the floor.
A bird soars free above the dancers, which contrasts sharply to the captive bird in the gilded cage hanging near the woman's distraught older husband.[2]
References
- ^ "Catalogue entry".
- ^ Leslie J. Morison, Painting the Gilded Cage - Evelyn de Morgan and the Plight of the Victorian Woman Artist, University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1992