'The Awakening of Brünnhilde' from Wagner's Siegfried by Samuel Begg (1854-1936)
Drawing
1892 (drawn)
1892 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting shows Siegfried on Brünnhilde's rock, before he kisses her and wakes her from her magic sleep, Act III, scene 3 of the first production of Siegfried by Richard Wagner (1869-1930) at Covent Garden by the Hamburg Opera Company, 8th June 1892. A handwritten pencil annotation verso identifies it as 'The Awakening of Brünnhilde'. It was painted by the artist Samual Begg (1854-1936), probably for reproduction in The Illustrated London News. Begg began working for the paper in 1895 and remained in their employment until 1919.
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by Herbert Ingram, in 1842 the first edition was sold on 14th May 1842 at a cost of sixpence per copy. Building from an original circulation of 26,000 to in excess of 300,000 at its peak, The Illustrated London News remained in print until 2003 and commissioned illustrations from many of the leading artists of the late nineteenth century. Photographs were used alongside illustrations from the late 19th century onwards but illustrations were a major feature of paper until after the end of the First World War.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
Siegfried passes through the ring of fire, emerging on Brünnhilde's rock. At first, he thinks the sleeping armored figure is a man. However, when he removes the armor, he finds a woman beneath. At the sight of the first woman he has ever seen, Siegfried at last experiences fear. In desperation, he kisses Brünnhilde, waking her from her magic sleep.
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by Herbert Ingram, in 1842 the first edition was sold on 14th May 1842 at a cost of sixpence per copy. Building from an original circulation of 26,000 to in excess of 300,000 at its peak, The Illustrated London News remained in print until 2003 and commissioned illustrations from many of the leading artists of the late nineteenth century. Photographs were used alongside illustrations from the late 19th century onwards but illustrations were a major feature of paper until after the end of the First World War.
This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914.
Siegfried passes through the ring of fire, emerging on Brünnhilde's rock. At first, he thinks the sleeping armored figure is a man. However, when he removes the armor, he finds a woman beneath. At the sight of the first woman he has ever seen, Siegfried at last experiences fear. In desperation, he kisses Brünnhilde, waking her from her magic sleep.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | 'The Awakening of Brünnhilde' from Wagner's <i>Siegfried</i> by Samuel Begg (1854-1936) (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | paint on drawing board |
| Brief description | Painted illustration for publication, probably in The Illustrated London News, of 'The Awakening of Brünnhilde' from Act III, scene 3 of the first production in London of Siegfried by Richard Wagner (1869-1930), Covent Garden Theatre, 8th June 1892. Painted by Samuel Begg (1854-1936) in 1892. Given by Sir William Ingram. |
| Physical description | Painted illustration in tones of grey, white and black of Act III, 'The Awakening of Brünnhilde' in the first production of Siegfriedat Covent Garden. It shows a dramatic landscape of rocks and mountains overhung by trees. In the foreground Brünnhilde lies unconscious on a rock, dressed in a classically inspired white dress. Siegfried, dressed in a dark, short tunic leans anxiously over her. In his left hand he holds a delicate cloth, in his right, an upraised sword. The sketch was painted by the artist Samuel Begg (1854-1936) signed with his initials and surname in the bottom right hand corner. The image was created for reproduction in a newspaper/magazine, probably The Illustrated London News. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir William Ingram |
| Object history | Sir William Ingram (27 October 1847 – 18 December 1924) was a Liberal politician who was elected to, and sat, in the House of Commons on three occassions between 1878 and 1895. He was also the Managing Director of The Illustrated London News from the late 1870s until 1900 and became the proprietor of a number of additional publications including The Sketch and The English Illustrated Magazine. The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by Sir William Ingram’s father, Herbert Ingram, in 1842 the first edition was sold on 14th May 1842 at a cost of sixpence per copy. Building from an original circulation of 26,000 to in excess of 300,000 at its peak, The Illustrated London News remained in print until 2003 and commissioned illustrations from many of the leading artists of the late nineteenth century. Photographs were used alongside illustrations from the late 19th century onwards but illustrations were a major feature of paper until after the end of the First World War. |
| Historical context | This sketch was one of a group of prints and pencil and pen and ink sketches donated to the museum in 1914 by Sir William Ingram (1847–1924). Part of this collection was originally donated to the Prints and Drawings Department with the majority later passing to the Theatre and Performance Department. The full collection includes work by a variety of artists amongst whom are: A. J Finberg; Ralph Cleaver; F.V.Poole and Rossi Ashton. Though not all the publications for which they were created are identified the majority of the sketches were commissioned for, and appeared in, The Illustrated London News, The English Illustrated Magazine or The Sketch. Sir William Ingram became the proprietor of The Illustrated London News in the mid to late 1870s and remained in post until circa 1900 when he was succeeded by his he was succeeded by his son, Bruce Stirling Ingram (1877–1963). He also became the proprietor of The Sketch amongst other papers in which capacity he gave commissions to many leading artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. |
| Summary | This painting shows Siegfried on Brünnhilde's rock, before he kisses her and wakes her from her magic sleep, Act III, scene 3 of the first production of Siegfried by Richard Wagner (1869-1930) at Covent Garden by the Hamburg Opera Company, 8th June 1892. A handwritten pencil annotation verso identifies it as 'The Awakening of Brünnhilde'. It was painted by the artist Samual Begg (1854-1936), probably for reproduction in The Illustrated London News. Begg began working for the paper in 1895 and remained in their employment until 1919. The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper. Founded by Herbert Ingram, in 1842 the first edition was sold on 14th May 1842 at a cost of sixpence per copy. Building from an original circulation of 26,000 to in excess of 300,000 at its peak, The Illustrated London News remained in print until 2003 and commissioned illustrations from many of the leading artists of the late nineteenth century. Photographs were used alongside illustrations from the late 19th century onwards but illustrations were a major feature of paper until after the end of the First World War. This item is one of several theatrical drawings from a collection of sketches commissioned from contemporary artists to be printed in illustrated magazines. The collection was donated to the museum by Sir William James Ingram in 1914. Siegfried passes through the ring of fire, emerging on Brünnhilde's rock. At first, he thinks the sleeping armored figure is a man. However, when he removes the armor, he finds a woman beneath. At the sight of the first woman he has ever seen, Siegfried at last experiences fear. In desperation, he kisses Brünnhilde, waking her from her magic sleep. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.355-2011 |
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| Record created | November 30, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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