Artwork
The Death of Cordelia (from William Shakespeare's 'King Lear')
The Death of Cordelia (from William Shakespeare's 'King Lear') is an oil painting by the British Romanticist artist Paul Falconer Poole. It dates from 1858 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The Death of Cordelia is an 1858 oil painting by Paul Falconer Poole, illustrating the final scene from Shakespeare's King Lear. It is a representative work of the British Romantic movement.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the aftermath of Cordelia's execution, with her lifeless body surrounded by mourners in a somber, rocky landscape. The scene conveys intense emotional grief and loss.
Technique & Style
Poole's use of color and composition emphasizes the emotional intensity of the scene, characteristic of his poetic and dramatic style as a self-taught genre painter.
History & Provenance
The painting is now held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a testament to its enduring significance in the art historical canon.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Falconer Poole (1807–1879) was a British subject and genre painter. Though self-taught, his fine feeling for colour, poetic sympathy, and dramatic power gained Poole a high position among British artists.
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