Simeon SolomonEnglish, 1840–1905Allegorical Self-Portrait
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Allegorical Self-Portrait” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Solomon studied with the Pre-Raphaelite painters Rossetti and Burne-Jones, who were influenced by Italian art of the 15th century. Solomon's friendship with the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne diverted his interests from Old Testament subject matter to quasi-erotic, ancient Greek themes. In 1873, the date of this work, Solomon was arrested for a homosexual solicitation, and became a social outcast. He was completely abandoned by Swinburne and his friends in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In this poignant self-portrait, Solomon recognizable by his mass of wavy hair, lowered eyelids, aquiline nose and sharp chin, represents himself as an androgynous, winged, figure clad only in a Greek chlamys, contemplating his tenuous future in a crystal ball beneath a starry sky. Appropriately, he clutches a branch of the plant Solomon's Seal in his left arm. In 1905, Solomon died of chronic alcoholism.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 68.49.1
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
