Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse explained

Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse
Artist:Joshua Reynolds
Year:1783–1784
Medium:oil on canvas
Height Imperial:94.25
Width Imperial:58.125
Museum:Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
City:San Marino, California

Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse, or Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, is a 1783–1784 painting by English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. The 1784 version is in the Huntington Library art museum, while a 1789 reproduction from Reynolds's studio is in the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Composition

The painting depicts the actress Sarah Siddons as Melpomene, the muse of tragedy. Siddons wears a diadem and is dressed in an 18th-century costume adorned with pearls. She is seated on a large throne while behind her, figures personifying Pity and Terror stand in the shadows.

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