Who painted Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui'?

Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui' was painted by William Maw Egley in 1890.

Where can I see Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui'?

Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui' is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui'?

Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui' is associated with Post-Impressionism.

Artwork

Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui'

William Maw Egley , 1890

Scene from Molière's 'Le Medecin Malgré Lui' is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist William Maw Egley. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Dark tonalities dominate the scene, punctuated by the vivid blues and whites of the women’s dresses and the striking red‑gold of a male costume.

William Maw Egley’s oil painting, created in 1890, captures a theatrical moment from Molière’s comedy *Le Médecin malgré lui*. The composition presents a group of costumed figures frozen in a domestic interior, their gestures and expressions suggesting the farcical confusion of the play’s plot. Dark tonalities dominate the scene, punctuated by the vivid blues and whites of the women’s dresses and the striking red‑gold of a male costume.

Subject & Meaning

The work visualises a specific episode in Molière’s seventeenth‑century satire, where a reluctant physician is forced into a charade. Egley emphasizes the comic tension by portraying characters reacting with surprise, irritation, and exaggerated gestures, thereby translating the playwright’s verbal wit into a visual tableau of social pretence and theatrical performance.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the painting reflects Egley’s post‑impressionist leanings while retaining the narrative clarity of his earlier illustrative training. Brushwork is relatively loose, allowing the dark background to recede, while brighter pigments on the costumes emerge with a modest luminosity, creating focal points that guide the viewer’s eye across the crowded interior.

History & Provenance

After its completion, the canvas entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it remains on public display. Egley, an English artist associated with the Victorian period’s literary illustration circles and the group known as The Clique, produced the piece during a phase when he frequently turned to humorous genre scenes drawn from classic theatre.