"Before the Duke of Venice"
English School, late 19th-century
Oil on canvas

"That I did love the Moor to live with him,
my downright violence and storm of fortunes
may trumpet the world.
My heart's subdu'd even to the very quality of my lord.
I saw Othello's visage in his mind,
and to his honors and his valiant parts
did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.
So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,
a moth of peace, and he go to the war,
the rites for why I love him are bereft me,
and I a heavy interim shall support
by his dear absence. Let me go with him."

Desdemona to the Duke of Venice William Shakepeare's Othello

In Act I, Scene III of William Shakepeare's tragedy Othello, Desdemona's father, Brabantio, has just discovered that his beloved daughter has eloped with Othello, a military man who had spent time in his house. Desdemona's father at first believes she must have been kidnapped or put under some spell. Why else would a high-born maiden find herself in the bed of a Moor twice her age? The newlywed couple is brought before the Duke of Venice in an attempt to rescue Desdemona or at least disinherit her if she has willfully disgraced her father. However, Desdemona's declaration of love for her new husband convinces all present that not only are her feelings true, but that Othello is a worthy and noble mate for her.

This painting is a fine example of the strains of both Romanticism and Realism which appeared in English painting in the late 19th-century. The subject matter, gleaned from English literature, is presented in a way that heightens the emotional impact on the viewer. We see Desdemona in mid-gesture as she beseeches the Duke, the pain on her father's face to her right is plain. This high drama and pathos is typical of a painter with Romanticist ideals. However, the execution of the painting, the careful attention to detail with each stroke of the brush, the painstaking historical research for the costumes and setting, is a product of Realist thinking. The painter fuses elements of both Realist and Romantic camps to produce an image that is at once a historical study and an emotionally engaging scene.

Measurements: canvas size: 29 ½" x 39 ½" inches
overall size: 36 ½" x 47 inches
Inventory number: CW27
Price: $5,500.00