Florizel and Perdita

About this artwork

Albert Pinkham Ryder painted several images based on plays by William Shakespeare. His favorite play was The Winter’s Tale, and this small image shows the characters Prince Florizel and the shepherd girl Perdita, who he was forbidden to marry. They discovered that Perdita was actually the banished daughter of a king, however, and the lovers were reunited. Ryder never married and constantly mourned the absence of love in his life. (Broun, Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1989) He may have been comparing him...

Art Historical Context

In the intimate painting *Florizel and Perdita created by Albert Pinkham Ryder by 7, we encounter a tender moment from William Shakespeare's beloved comedy *The Winter's Tale*. The artist captures Prince Florizel and the shepherd girl Perdita a courting scene, set against a evocative landscape. Their forbidden romance—stemming from Perdita's humble origins—unfolds with dramatic irony, as she is later revealed to be the long-lost daughter of a king, allowing the lovers to reunite in joy. Ryder, who never married and often reflected on love's elusiveness in his own life, drew deeply from Shakespeare, with *The Winter's Tale* as his favorite play. He produced several works inspired by the Bard, and this small canvas may reflect his personal longing, perhaps imagining himself as the prince awaiting a "princess." Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum through the gift of John Gellatly, it exemplifies Ryder's fascination with themes of romance, identity, and redemption. This figure group amid a pastoral backdrop invites visitors to ponder the intersections of literature and personal emotion in 19th-century American art, blending storytelling with subtle emotional depth.

About the Artist

Albert Pinkham Ryder · 1847–1917

Largely self-taught, Albert Pinkham Ryder is widely considered one of America's greatest visionary painters. His intense use of color and mysterious themes are distinctly Romantic. Ryder moved with his family from New Bedford, Massachusetts to New York in 187, where he studied briefly at the New York National Academy of Design. He studied the engravings of Camille Corot and other Barbizon painters...