The Battle of Britain

The Mad Woman of Douai

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Catalogue number
  • Art.IWM ART 4671
Production date
1918
Subject period
Materials
  • medium: oil
  • support: canvas
Dimensions
  • Support: Height 762 mm
  • Support: Width 914 mm
  • Frame: Height 114 x 99 x 6.5 cm mm
Alternative Names
  • object category: painting
Creator
Category
art
Gift of the artist, 1931

License Image

Object description

image: A scene set in the ruins of a church. The East-facing fall of the apse is all that remains, and the crucifix still intact. A group of peasants stand around a woman sitting on a chair next to a table. She has an expression of horror frozen on her face and her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Two of the peasants lean close to her, while another pair stand behind with their heads together. To the right three others stand in an attitude of sorrow. A soldier stands leaning on his rifle beyond them. The decayed corpse of a soldier lies on the ground in front, his pose mirroring that of the soldier standing above. In the left foreground there is a grave marked with a helmet, and the boot of the dead soldier protrouding from the end. The devastated remains of Douai lie beyond this scene, and the dark shadows of mountains in the distance.

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