Imogen
Herbert Gustave Schmalz, 1888Fine art reproduction on 200gsm matte paper. A5 to A1, plus 12x16, 18x24 and 24x36 inches.Pale blue panelling, a velvet chair, and a princess with a sword. Picture Imogen standing guard over your reading room.
Imogen by Herbert Schmalz shows the heroine of Shakespeare's Cymbeline, a British princess wrongly accused by the husband she loves. She escapes into the Welsh mountains disguised as a boy and outlasts every lie told about her. Look closely at her hands. One grips the hilt, the other the scabbard, as if the blade could leave it at any moment. She glances back over her shoulder. Whatever follows her, she will not run unarmed. Cymbeline is one of Shakespeare's late plays, set in ancient Britain under Roman rule. Storm blue, burnished gold and deep forest brown.
Schmalz painted Imogen in 1888, with the rich detail he learned from the Pre Raphaelites. Notice the blue embroidered sleeves and the gold of her hair against the dark rocks. This print comes from a Victorian plate printed in Paris by Goupil, the leading art publisher of its day. A surprising footnote: in 1918 Schmalz changed his surname to Carmichael, his mother's maiden name.
The look
Storm blue, burnished gold and deep forest brown against a dark rocky ground. Fierce, romantic and full of movement. Pre Raphaelite wall art for a dark academia study, a reading room or a home library beside your Shakespeare.
Sizes
| Size | Centimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A5 | 14.8 x 21 cm | 5.8 x 8.3 in |
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 cm | 8.3 x 11.7 in |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 cm | 11.7 x 16.5 in |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 cm | 16.5 x 23.4 in |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 cm | 23.4 x 33.1 in |
| 12 x 16 in | 30.5 x 40.6 cm | 12 x 16 in |
| 18 x 24 in | 45.7 x 61 cm | 18 x 24 in |
| 24 x 36 in | 61 x 91.4 cm | 24 x 36 in |
Custom sizes on request. Inch sizes have a slightly different shape from A sizes, so the edges trim a little. Size guide
Frames and delivery
Choose a black, white or oak frame, or order the print unframed. It is printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada or Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees. Printing and delivery
Gifting
A meaningful gift for a birthday, a graduation or a new home library. A Shakespeare heroine who saves herself.
More like this
More Shakespeare in our Pre Raphaelite Art collection: Ophelia by John Everett Millais. For another heroine with a sword, see Joan of Arc by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
