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Notes
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In the Garden of Opportunity, we see on the right symbols of learning and wisdom. The bench is decorated with an owl, the wise bird, and with the cornucopia of the wealth of the earth. A book lies discarded on the bench. Behind is a church, the medieval seat of learning. The mill and water wheel behind the bench represent all the riches of the earth, harvested for the benefit of humanity. In front of the bench is Wisdom herself, in an attitude of despair, at her feet the discarded riches that she can bring to those who follow her. The central figures are two medieval students, dressed in colourful robes, who have turned their backs on wisdom and learning, and are moving towards Folly, represented by the female figure on the left. Against a desolate background, she tempts them towards a castle, symbol of transient wealth.
Mrs Stirling wrote about the devil 'the jest about this was always that he was pointed out as a portraited of William De Morgan by the artist (as he has the De Morgan piehead!)'.
Title
The Garden of Opportunity
Date
1892
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 92 x W 168.5 cm
Accession number
P_EDM_0029
Acquisition method
gift
Work type
Painting