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Prison

50 works by 25 artists

50 works featuring “Prison” by 25 artists, from the 16th to the 20th century, held in 30 museums.

The Prison, Johann Heinrich Füssli

The Prison, 1805–1807.

Das Gefängnis (museum title)

Johann Heinrich Füssli (Swiss), oil on canvas

Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland

Saint Peter Freed by an Angel, Jusepe de Ribera

Saint Peter Freed by an Angel, 1639.

San Pedro libertado por un ángel (museum title)

Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish), oil on canvas

Prado Museum, Spain

La Ronde des prisonniers, Vincent van Gogh

La Ronde des prisonniers, 1890.

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch), oil on canvas

Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Russia

Les Sept Œuvres de miséricorde, Caravaggio

Les Sept Œuvres de miséricorde, 1600.

Caravaggio (Italian), oil on canvas

Pio Monte della Misericordia, Italy

The Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David

The Death of Socrates, 1787.

Jacques-Louis David (French), oil on canvas

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

Justice, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Justice, 1559.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), pen and brown ink on paper

Prints Department of the Royal Library of Belgium

Maćko Borkowic, Jan Matejko

Maćko Borkowic, 1877.

Jan Matejko (Polish), oil on canvas

National Museum in Warsaw, Poland

Polonia 1863 (Poland in Chains), Jan Matejko

Polonia 1863 (Poland in Chains), 1864.

Polonia 1863 (Zakuwana Polska) (museum title)

Jan Matejko (Polish), oil on canvas

National Museum in Kraków, Poland

Menagerie, Grandville

Menagerie, 1828–1829.

Ménagerie (museum title)

Grandville (French), hand-colored lithograph

Maison de Balzac, France

Le Prisonnier de Chillon, Eugène Delacroix

Le Prisonnier de Chillon, 1834.

Eugène Delacroix (French), oil on canvas

Department of Paintings, Louvre Museum, France

Almansaris Visits Huon in Prison, Johann Heinrich Füssli

Almansaris Visits Huon in Prison, 1804–1805.

Almansaris besucht Hüon im Gefängnis (museum title)

Johann Heinrich Füssli (Swiss), oil on canvas

Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland

A Scene from The Beggar's Opera, William Hogarth

A Scene from The Beggar's Opera, 1728–1729.

William Hogarth (British), oil on canvas

National Gallery of Art, United States

La Décollation de saint Jean-Baptiste, Eugène Delacroix

La Décollation de saint Jean-Baptiste, 1858.

Eugène Delacroix (French), oil on canvas

Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland

A Rake's Progress, Plate 7: In Fleet Street Prison, William Hogarth

A Rake's Progress, Plate 7: In Fleet Street Prison, 1735.

William Hogarth (British), etching, engraving

Yale Center for British Art, United States

A Harlot's Progress: pl.4, William Hogarth

A Harlot's Progress: pl.4, 1732.

William Hogarth (British), etching, engraving

National Gallery of Art, United States

Three Bears in a Cage (Children's Album), Adolph Menzel

Three Bears in a Cage (Children's Album), 1863–1883.

Drei Bären im Käfig. Aus dem "Kinderalbum" (museum title)

Adolph Menzel (German), watercolor and gouache on paper

Kupferstichkabinett Berlin, Germany

A Prison Scene in Rome, Wilhelm Marstrand

A Prison Scene in Rome, 1837.

En fængselsscene i Rom (museum title)

Wilhelm Marstrand (Danish), oil on canvas

Nivaagaard Collection, Denmark

Daniel dans la fosse aux lions, Eugène Delacroix

Daniel dans la fosse aux lions, 1849.

Eugène Delacroix (French), oil on canvas

Musée Fabre, France

Ainsi donc, quoique j'vous avoue..., Honoré Daumier

Ainsi donc, quoique j'vous avoue..., 1846.

Honoré Daumier (French), lithograph

National Gallery of Art, United States

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Lucas Cranach l'Ancien

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

The Beheading of St. John the Baptist (museum title)

Lucas Cranach l'Ancien (German), woodblock print

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

The Beggar's Opera, William Hogarth

The Beggar's Opera, 1729.

William Hogarth (British), oil on canvas

Yale Center for British Art, United States

The Deserter, William Orpen

The Deserter, 1917.

William Orpen (Irish), watercolor on paper

Imperial War Museum, United Kingdom

Hope, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Hope, 1560.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), engraving

Rijksmuseum, Netherlands

A Rake's Progress, Plate 8: In Bedlam, William Hogarth

A Rake's Progress, Plate 8: In Bedlam, 1735.

William Hogarth (British), etching, engraving

Yale Center for British Art, United States

Hope, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Hope, 1559.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), pen and brown ink on paper

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany

Prisoners in irons; page 80 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F), Francisco de Goya

Prisoners in irons; page 80 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F), c. 1812–1820.

Francisco de Goya (Spanish), brush, brown ink wash over black chalk

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

Maćko Borkowic, sketch, Jan Matejko

Maćko Borkowic, sketch, 1873.

Maćko Borkowic, szkic (museum title)

Jan Matejko (Polish), oil on canvas

National Museum in Warsaw, Poland

Il parait... que mon gaillard est un grand scélérat..., Honoré Daumier

Il parait... que mon gaillard est un grand scélérat..., 1848.

Honoré Daumier (French), lithograph

National Gallery of Art, United States

Garroted Man, Francisco de Goya

Garroted Man, c. 1775–1778.

Francisco de Goya (Spanish), etching, printed in blue (working proof)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

Pacifical-Medallion with Christ in Limbo, Lucas Cranach l'Ancien

Pacifical-Medallion with Christ in Limbo

Pacifical-medaillon with Christ in Limbo (museum title)

Lucas Cranach l'Ancien (German), woodblock print

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

Claudio and Isabella, William Holman Hunt

Claudio and Isabella, 1850.

William Holman Hunt (British), oil on wood

Tate Britain, United Kingdom

Ugolin et ses fils, Eugène Delacroix

Ugolin et ses fils, 1860.

Eugène Delacroix (French), oil on canvas

Ordrupgaard, Denmark

Charity, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Charity, 1560.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), engraving

Rijksmuseum, Netherlands

Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna a Year after Her Confinement in the Novodevichy Convent, during the Execution of the Streltsy and the Torture of All Her Servants in 1698, Ilya Répine

Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna a Year after Her Confinement in the Novodevichy Convent, during the Execution of the Streltsy and the Torture of All Her Servants in 1698, 1879.

Царевна Софья Алексеевна через год после заключения ее в… (museum title)

Ilya Répine (Russian), oil on canvas

Tretyakov Gallery, Russia

The Liberation of Saint Peter, Raphaël

The Liberation of Saint Peter

Délivrance de Saint Pierre (museum title)

Raphaël (Italian), fresco

Vatican Museums, Vatican

The Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David

The Death of Socrates, c. 1782.

Jacques-Louis David (French), pen and black ink, with brush and gray wash, over black chalk; lightly squared in black chalk

Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

King Christian II in Prison, Carl Bloch

King Christian II in Prison, 1871.

Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot (museum title)

Carl Bloch (Danish), oil on canvas

Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark

The First Book of Urizen, plate 4, William Blake

The First Book of Urizen, plate 4, 1794.

The First Book of Urizen, Plate 4 (Bentley 24) (museum title)

William Blake (British), color-printed relief etching with watercolor and pen

Yale Center for British Art, United States

Ainsi donc, mon ami, a vingt-deux ans..., Honoré Daumier

Ainsi donc, mon ami, a vingt-deux ans..., 1844.

Honoré Daumier (French), lithograph

National Gallery of Art, United States

Man under lock and key, Honoré Daumier

Man under lock and key

Honoré Daumier (French)

Finnish National Gallery, Finland

Study of a Window, Viktor Madarász

Study of a Window

Ablaktanulmány (museum title)

Viktor Madarász (Hungarian), oil on canvas

Hungarian National Gallery, Hungary

Melbourne gaol in sunlight from the Public Library grounds, Frederick McCubbin

Melbourne gaol in sunlight from the Public Library grounds, 1884.

Frederick McCubbin (Australian), oil on canvas

State Library Victoria, Australia

Justice, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Justice, 1560.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), engraving

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States

Before the Confession, Ilya Répine

Before the Confession, 1879–1885.

Перед исповедью (museum title)

Ilya Répine (Russian), oil on canvas

Tretyakov Gallery, Russia

Charity, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Charity, 1559.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Dutch), pen and brown ink on paper

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Netherlands

Frederik I Releases Sten Sture's Widow and Sons from Prison at Kalundborg Castle, 1524, C.W. Eckersberg

Frederik I Releases Sten Sture's Widow and Sons from Prison at Kalundborg Castle, 1524, 1833.

Frederik I udløser Sten Strures enke og sønner af fængslet… (museum title)

C.W. Eckersberg (Danish), drawing

Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark

Designs for Gray's Poems, design 37: "And purple tyrants vainly groan...", William Blake

Designs for Gray's Poems, design 37: "And purple tyrants vainly groan...", 1797–1798.

"And purple tyrants vainly groan..." (Design 37) (museum title)

William Blake (British), watercolor, pen and black ink over graphite, with inlaid letterpress page

Yale Center for British Art, United States

Europe a Prophecy, plate 15: "The red limb'd Angel siez'd in horror and torment...", William Blake

Europe a Prophecy, plate 15: "The red limb'd Angel siez'd in horror and torment...", 1794.

"The red limb'd Angel siez'd in horror and torment..."… (museum title)

William Blake (British), color-printed relief etching with watercolor and pen

Yale Center for British Art, United States

Le Tasse dans la maison des fous, Eugène Delacroix

Le Tasse dans la maison des fous, 1839.

Eugène Delacroix (French), oil on canvas

Oskar Reinhart Collection “Am Römerholz”, Switzerland

Sam Weller's Landlord in the Fleet, James McNeill Whistler

Sam Weller's Landlord in the Fleet, 1853–1855.

James McNeill Whistler (American), watercolor and graphite on paper

Freer Gallery of Art, United States