The Lady of Shalott
- Held At: Wolverhampton Arts and Museums
- ObjectNumber: OP351
- Object Name: Oil Painting
- Object Name: Painting
- Date: 1848 - 1851
- Number of Objects: 1
- Production Period:
- Victorian (1837-1901)
- Summary: Oil painting showing a woman sat alone in a tower, at the window, looking out over a river and green hills. She is wearing a dark blue dress and has brown hair.
- Description: The Lady of Shalott is a Victorian poem by Lord Tennyson. The poem reworks 'Arthurian' medieval subject matter. King Arthur was a legendary King and fables include the favoured sword Excalibur, the wise wizard Merlin, the establishment of the Knights of the Round Table, chivalry, and his marraige to Guinevere. The Pre-Raphaelites were particularly influenced by the 'Arthurian' legends, whereby The Lady of Shalott falls in love with Sir Lancelot, Kind Arthur's greatest and most trusted Knight. She dies of grief when he cannot return her love. Frequently depicted in isolation within her tower, it is seen as the dilemma that faces artists, writers, and musicians, whether to create work about the world, or to enjoy the world by simply living in it. Others see the poem as concerned with issues of women's sexuality and their place in the Victorian world.
- Technique:
- Painted
- Terms:Women
- Terms:Literature
- Terms:Poetry
- Terms:Art collections
- Terms:Victorian period
- Terms:Oil painting
- Terms:Fine arts
- Terms:Tennyson
- Terms:Oil Paintings
- Material: Canvas
- Material: Oil paint
- Dimensions: Unframed: 87 x 63 cm
- Related People:
- Contact: Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service,
