The Evil Mothers
1894 · Oil on canvas · Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
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About this work
- Artist
- Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899)
- Year
- 1894
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 105 × 200 cm
- Collection
- Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
- Movement
- Symbolism
In a wide snowfield under a pale apricot sky, a young woman hangs caught in the branches of a bare, twisted tree, her head thrown back and her long hair tangled in the twigs, an infant at her breast. Mountains run along the horizon, and further figures drift among trees on the left. Segantini painted it in 1894 in fine, threadlike strokes. The Belvedere reads it as a moralising image of women who refused motherhood, punished in an icy purgatory before redemption. It is the last of four pictures of women in trees, and the Vienna Secession presented it to the museum in 1901.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Snow white, slate blue and a pale apricot sky make a cool, wintry picture for a study, landing or living room. Pair it with Friedrich's Winter Landscape at 24×16 in a black frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1894)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Evil Mothers in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Evil Mothers painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.




























