Mourning Angel 1877

Editor: Here we have Sir Alfred Gilbert's "Mourning Angel," a terracotta sculpture held in the Tate collection. The figure seems to be caught in a moment of introspective grief. What visual language does Gilbert use to convey such emotion? Curator: The bowed head, the hand covering the mouth - these are age-old gestures of sorrow and suppression, aren't they? But look at the wings; are they symbols of flight or entrapment here? And what does it mean to show an angel unclothed? Editor: I hadn't thought of the wings that way. It’s a potent combination of vulnerability and otherworldly power. Curator: Indeed, Gilbert taps into our shared understanding of loss but gives it a deeply personal twist. There is a tension between classical iconography and modern psychological insight here. Editor: That makes me see the piece in a completely different light, thank you.