| Artist | Evelyn De Morgan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 78.5 cm × 105 cm (30.9 in × 41 in) |
| Location | De Morgan Centre, London |
The Gilded Cage is an oil painting by Evelyn De Morgan, her final work before her death in 1919. It is essentially an allegory for female captivity.[1]
In this painting, a woman looks out a window with her hand stretched out and up in a gesture of yearning. She is looking at a group of gypsy figures, dancing under the open sky. The principal figure among the gypsy group is a woman who dances while holding her baby close to her, thus suggesting an alternative vision of maternal duty.
Soaring free about the dancing group is a bird, which contrasts sharply to the captive bird in the gilded cage that hangs beside the woman's older husband. The husband seems oblivious to his wife's state of mind.