The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Print of a stylized woman in profile bending to drink from a goblet. She wears a cream dress outlined in brown, disproportionately long skirt extending down into the cream lower half. She bends toward the goblet against the red-orange background of the upper half, her black hair bunched under a fanning bonnet with flowers at the top and teal blue adornments detailing her wrist, neck, and hat. Written in the lower right corner is "ISOLDE."

Isolde

1895

Aubrey Beardsley

(British, 1872–1898)
printer

William Griggs

(British, 1832–1911)
England
color lithograph
Image: 22.8 x 14.2 cm (9 x 5 9/16 in.); Sheet: 28.5 x 20.4 cm (11 1/4 x 8 1/16 in.)
Gift of John Bonebrake 2010.651
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Aubrey Beardsley died unexpectedly at the age of just 25, at the height of his popularity, of tuberculosis.

Description

This print depicts Isolde, the female protagonist of a medieval romance centered on an adulterous love triangle. Aubrey Beardsley frequently drew from literature in his artwork, whether as illustrations or independent works of art. He became immensely popular during the 1890s, when this work was made, for his characteristically stark, sinuous, and linear style. Although Beardsley's images often accompanied text in books, this print was published by the popular British art journal The Studio as a bonus for its readers.
  • ?-1993
    (Conrad Graeber Fine Art, Glyndon, MD)
    1993-2011
    John Bonebrake [1918-2011], Cleveland, OH
    March 7, 2011
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Isolde|url=false|author=Aubrey Beardsley, William Griggs|year=1895|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.651