The Gilded Cage (Saint George Hare painting)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gilded Cage
Gilded Cage-George Hare.jpg
ArtistSaint George Hare
Year1908
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions127 cm × 101.5 cm (50 in × 40.0 in)
LocationStourhead

The Gilded Cage is a 1908 oil painting by Irish artist Saint George Hare, one of several of his shackled female images including his more famous Victory of Faith.

It depicts a lone, sleeping woman shackled by the wrists to a column while butterflies fly past. Its title may have been inspired by the 1900 song "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" and the painting may have symbolic meaning.[1]

According to the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), "The depiction of naked women in chains seemed to hold a special interest for Hare, and he returned to the subject frequently".[2]

Despite the captive's partial nudity she retains her innocence as her state of being disrobed is forced upon her by her captors rather than being her own choice.[2]

References[]

Retrieved from ""