
Not on display
- Artist
- George Frederic Watts 1817–1904
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 2476 × 1168 mm
frame: 2835 × 1505 × 110 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by the artist 1897
- Reference
- N01645
Display caption
Large symbolic paintings about hope, life and love and death were popular with Victorian audiences. Watts produced many works on these themes. Here, the character of Love (on the right) is trying to defend the house of Life. Death (on the left) advances calmly with a bowed head. Death tramples the wild roses in its path, but doesn’t disturb the dove, associated with peace, on the bottom right. Watts described this painting as ‘the progress of the inevitable but not terrible Death, who partially but not completely overshadows Love’.
Gallery label, August 2018
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.
Explore
- architecture(30,960)
-
- features(8,872)
-
- stair / step(514)
- actions: postures and motions(9,111)
-
- arm / arms raised(839)
- figure(6,809)
- boy(1,153)
- male(959)
- birth to death(109)
-
- death - man(2)
- love - angel(5)
You might like
-
Frederic, Lord Leighton The Bath of Psyche
exhibited 1890 -
Anna Lea Merritt Love Locked Out
1890 -
George Frederic Watts Psyche
1880 -
George Frederic Watts The Dweller in the Innermost
c.1885–6 -
George Frederic Watts Death Crowning Innocence
1886–7 -
George Frederic Watts Sic Transit
1891–2 -
George Frederic Watts and assistants Hope
1886 -
George Frederic Watts Love and Life
c.1884–5 -
George Frederic Watts Eve Tempted
exhibited 1884 -
George Frederic Watts The Messenger
c.1884–5 -
George Frederic Watts The All-Pervading
1887–90 -
George Frederic Watts Time, Death and Judgement
1900 -
George Frederic Watts and assistants The Court of Death
c.1870–1902 -
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt The Temple of Love
date not known -
George Frederic Watts Eveleen Tennant, later Mrs F.W.H. Myers
exhibited 1880