Mozart on his deathbed listening to an unfinished Requiem
Chambers, Charles Edward (1883-1941)
Additional titles
Death of Mozart
- Private collection
Item location
Description
Charles Chambers, a well-known early 20th-century American illustrator, produced a thoroughly melodramatic version of Mozart listening to his Requiem, commissioned by Steinway & Sons in the USA in 1919. Chambers clearly draws from both of Munkácsy’s [Mozart] paintings. Although the arrangement of figures is rather different, and there is a dramatic use of perspective, individual elements are indisputably modelled on Munkácsy’s paintings. Chambers has Mozart sitting with both a remarkably similar pose and expression to Munkácsy’s Milton, right down to the hand gestures. Also borrowed from Milton is the profile of the woman (Mozart’s sister-in-law) on the left in Chambers’s work, similar to Milton’s daughter Eve. The connection to Munkácsy’s Mozart is further reinforced—other than the same historical scene and underlying Dionysian mood—by Mozart’s son, an almost identical (but mirror) image. Chambers has fused Munkácsy’s two works, understanding their inherent connection and similar message. Through Chambers’s The death of Mozart, Munkácsy’s dramatic and challenging vision of the musical genius was carried into new visual styles, even as the Hungarian artist’s own reputation slid into obscurity. --Alan Davison (see bibliographic reference)People as subjects
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) (Composer)Iconclass
48B26artist on his deathbed
Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)
Keyboard instruments [2230]Violin [3573]
Musical works
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus -- Requiemillegible music notationRIdIM images
Image URLs
image link 1Bridgeman Images