Description
Tannhäuser, the male figure seated on the left, does not seem fully engaged in this merry scene. Among pale bodies and pastel hues, he alone is cast in shadow. The Wagner opera that inspired the painting centers on a struggle between profane and sacred love, and the tension between them appears embodied in the brooding Tannhäuser.
Provenance
Bought from the artist by Durand-Ruel, Paris, France, February 21, 1890 (stock number 2636), (1890); Sold to Durand-Ruel, New York, NY, March 6, 1890 (stock number 1000) (1890); (Durand-Ruel, New York, NY, January 4, 1891, sold to J. H. Wade) (1890-1891); Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Wade, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1891-1916); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1916-)
Accession Number
1916.1038
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 123.5 x 139.5 x 14 cm (48 5/8 x 54 15/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 86.4 x 103.3 cm (34 x 40 11/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade