Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius
Artist	George Dawe
Year	1809
Type	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	100.3 cm× 127 cm(39.5 in× 50 in)
Location	Tate Britain, London

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius is an 1809 oil painting by the British artist George Dawe. ^{[1] [2]} It depicts a scene from William Shakespeare's play Cymbeline in which the heroine Imogen, daughter of Cymbeline, is discovered in a cave by Belarius and her two long-lost brothers. The assume she is dead, but in fact she has taken a sleeping potion. While Daw became best known for his portraits, this was a rare example of him venturing into history painting. The painting was exhibited at the British Institution of 1809, a rival to the Royal Academys. Today it is in the collection of the Tate Britain in Pimlico, having been acquired in 1965. ^[3]

References

1. Sillars p.225
2. Bury p.321
3. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dawe-imogen-found-in-the-cave-of-belarius-t00718

Bibliography

• Bury, Stephen (ed.) Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators, Volume 1. OUP, 2012.
• Sillars, Stuart. Shakespeare Seen. Cambridge University Press, 2019.