At the Golden Gate

Valentine Cameron Prinsep, 1838-1904

1882

Oil on canvas

Source: Magazine of Art, p. 396

“In the case of 'The Golden Gate,' the spectator may be left to make his own romance. There has evidently been some kind of "scene," for the broken cup on the floor tells tales, and the sultana — whose hair, by the way, is dressed in remarkably occidental fashion — stands rebuked before the glorious golden portal of some tyrant's sanctum. This beautiful picture is principally a study — and a very successful study — of drapery in the small folds proper to the softer Eastern stuffs, and beloved by Greek art” (408-9).

Image capture and formatting by George P. Landow

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