Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius is an oil painting by the English artist George Dawe, from 1809. It is held at the Tate Britain, in London.

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius
Artist	George Dawe
Year	1809
Type	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	100.3 cm × 127 cm (39.5 in × 50 in)
Location	Tate Britain, London

It depicts a scene from William Shakespeare's play Cymbeline in which the heroine Imogen, daughter of Cymbeline, is discovered in a cave by Belarius and her two long-lost brothers. They assume she is dead, but in fact she has just taken a sleeping potion. While Dawe became best known for his portraits, this is a rare example of him venturing into history painting.

The painting was exhibited at the British Institution of 1809, a rival to the Royal Academy. Today it is in the collection of the Tate Britain, having been acquired in 1965.

Bibliography

• Bury, Stephen (ed.) Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators, Volume 1. OUP, 2012.
• Sillars, Stuart. Shakespeare Seen. Cambridge University Press, 2019.