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The Gilded Cage (De Morgan)

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The Gilded Cage
ArtistEvelyn De Morgan
Year1919
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions78.5 cm × 105 cm (30.9 in × 41 in)
LocationWatts Gallery, Compton, Guildford

The Gilded Cage is an oil painting on canvas by the English painter Evelyn De Morgan, from 1919.[1] It was her final work before her death later in the year.

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 jewelry and a book lay 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

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  1. ^ Morison, Leslie J. (1992). Painting the gilded cage: Evelyn de Morgan and the plight of the Victorian woman artist. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 20.