Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
The Watts Gift
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/george-frederic-watts-586" aria-label="More by George Frederic Watts" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">George Frederic Watts</a>
Love and Death
Presented by the artist 1897
actions: postures and motions
adults
animals: birds
architecture
arm / arms raised
birth to death
boy
children
death - man
dove
emotional states and conditions
features
figure
love - angel
male
nudes
people
plants and flowers
rose
stair / step
symbols and personifications
<p>Large symbolic paintings about hope, life and love and death were popular with Victorian audiences. Watts produced many works on these themes. Here, the character of Love (on the right) is trying to defend the house of Life. Death (on the left) advances calmly with a bowed head. Death tramples the wild roses in its path, but doesn’t disturb the dove, associated with peace, on the bottom right. Watts described this painting as ‘the progress of the inevitable but not terrible Death, who partially but not completely overshadows Love’.</p><p><em>Gallery label, August 2018</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
1 March 2011 – 31 December 2011
2011-12-31
1 March 2011 – 31 December 2011
2011-12-31
2011-03-01
Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village (Compton, UK)
http://www.wattsgallery.org.uk
2011-03-01
Watts Gallery Re-Opening
Loan-out
Love and Death
support: 2476 × 1168 mm
frame: 2835 × 1505 × 110 mm
Presented by <a href="/search?gid=999999783" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">the artist</a> 1897
<div class="text">
<p>Large symbolic paintings about hope, life and love and death were popular with Victorian audiences. Watts produced many works on these themes. Here, the character of Love (on the right) is trying to defend the house of Life. Death (on the left) advances calmly with a bowed head. Death tramples the wild roses in its path, but doesn’t disturb the dove, associated with peace, on the bottom right. Watts described this painting as ‘the progress of the inevitable but not terrible Death, who partially but not completely overshadows Love’.</p>
</div>

Display caption
2018-08-03T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
actions: postures and motions adults animals: birds architecture arm / arms raised birth to death boy children death - man dove emotional states and conditions features figure love - angel male nudes people plants and flowers rose stair / step symbols and personifications