The Gilded Cage (Evelyn De Morgan painting)


The Gilded Cage is a 1919 oil painting by Evelyn De Morgan. 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.