L'Allegro
1848
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1848
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
L'Allegro is a 1848 oil by Charles West Cope, a British Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a woman closing her ear with her hand. She's the goddess of Mirth from John Milton's poem 'L'Allegro'. The poem inspired this artwork, which is interesting because it reflects a shift in what people wanted to see in art during the 19th century - they preferred lighter themes. This shift led to more paintings like this one, based on literature. You can learn more about this style by looking at the movement: Romanticism.
Charles West Cope’s 1848 oil painting illustrates a scene from John Milton’s 1632 poem *L’Allegro*, depicting Euphrosyne, the goddess of mirth, shielding herself from the persuasions of love. The work forms a pair with Cope’s *Il Penseroso*, both reflecting the 19th-century shift toward lighter literary subjects in place of traditional history paintings. Cope, known for his literary, biblical, and historical compositions, studied fresco in Italy and contributed works to the Palace of Westminster. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1848 and later donated to the collection by…
Read the full account in the museum source.
English painter Charles West Cope made quiet, tender scenes of family life and scenes from John Milton’s poems in the 1840s.
See the richer artist page
