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Auction #3849494 - The Winter's Tale. Act II, Scene III-
(Reserve not met yet)
35 days 23 hours
Auction Started
Sep 6, 2025 07:09 PM MDT
Auction Ends
Oct 16, 2025 06:00 PM MDT
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National Education
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Description
Condition: FAIR

Title: The Winter’s Tale. Act II, Scene III Painting by: John Opie (1761–1807)
Engraving by: Jean Pierre Simon (a.k.a. John Peter Simon, the Younger)
Published: June 4, 1793, by John & Josiah Boydell for the Shakespeare Gallery, London catalog.folger.eduArt of the PrintNational Galleries of Scotland

Visual Composition & Dramatic Moment- Worn, small tear at bottom worn around edges old image.

The scene unfolds in a royal chamber bathed in restrained light—perhaps torchlight or early evening glow. At the center stands King Leontes, clad in armor, his hand poised and commanding. He looms over the tender figure of Antigonus, who stands close by, torn between duty and compassion. Before them lies the vulnerable infant Perdita in a cradle.

Leontes’s posture is one of authoritarian fury. He forces Antigonus to swear by his sword to carry the infant away to some “remote and desert place,” abandoning her without mercy. The tension in this dramatic tableau is striking: the clash between Leontes’s unchecked jealousy and Antigonus’s moral turmoil is rendered with emotional clarity Art of the PrintYale Library Collectionsabsoluteshakespeare.com.

Historical & Artistic Context

This illustration is part of the grand Boydell Shakespeare Gallery project—a late 18th-century effort to elevate British art by commissioning paintings and engravings inspired by Shakespeare’s plays WGAArt of the PrintNational Galleries of Scotland.

John Opie, a respected British painter, conceived the original scene with dramatic nuance. Jean Pierre Simon, renowned for his mastery of stipple engraving, translated Opie’s composition into the printed engraving form, skillfully rendering tones and contrasts in the intaglio style Art of the PrintNational Galleries of Scotland.

Setting & Symbolism

Set within the opulent confines of a royal room, the engraving places emphasis on authority, loyalty, and innocence:

  • Leontes’s sword is a central visual and symbolic element—both literal and dramatic—it underscores the coercion and the danger.

  • Antigonus embodies vulnerability and integrity, caught between loyalty to his sovereign and the maternal innocence he is commanded to condemn.

  • Perdita, as an infant, symbolizes purity—her future uncertain, abandoned by the very court meant to protect her.

The sparse staging—minimal distractions—draws all focus to the emotional and moral drama played out among these three figures.

Why This Matters

  • Emotional intensity: Shakespeare’s text speaks to themes of jealousy, power, and innocence. This image captures that tension with visual precision.

  • Cultural significance: As part of the Boydell Gallery, it reflects the intersection of literature and visual art during a time when British nationalism and artistic identity were increasingly celebrated.

  • Artistic technique: The stipple engraving method used by Simon adds subtlety and depth, enriching the viewer’s emotional response.

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