Artist: De Morgan, Evelyn
Object Number: P_EDM_0021
Date: 1880
Category: Oil on canvas and Paintings
Material: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Canvas: H 930 x W 1128 mm Framed: H 1415 x W 1110 x D 80 mm
Inscriptions: Signature, 1880: ‘EP 1880’
Description:

The theme of death was an increasingly common theme in Evelyn’s oeuvre as time went by. The Angel of Death I is the most overt representation of the subject and demonstrates Evelyn’s spiritualist belief that death is to be welcomed and not feared.

Evelyn depicts the Angel of Death, who is symbolised by his grey hair and scythe, as a beautiful and benign figure, gently comforting the frail female figure he has in his sight. The young woman appears to have had a hard life – signified by the arid landscape behind her. In contrast the way forward is illustrated with a fertile landscape and spring flowers, demonstrating Evelyn’s view that the path of the Angel of Death is not to be feared.