The Gilded Cage (De Morgan)

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The Gilded Cage
The Gilded Cage, by Evelyn De Morgan.jpg
Artist Evelyn De Morgan
Year1901-1902
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions78.5 cm× 105 cm(30.9 in× 41 in)

The Gilded Cage is an oil painting on canvas by the English painter Evelyn De Morgan, from 1901-1902, on loan from the De Morgan Collection to the Watts Gallery. [1]

In the painting a woman looks out 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 about the dancers, which contrasts sharply to the captive bird in the gilded cage hanging near the woman's distraught older husband.

References

  1. "Catalogue entry".