Sir John Everett Millais, Bt The Vale of Rest 1858–9
Sir John Everett Millais, Bt 1829–1896
The Vale of Rest 1858–9
Oil paint on canvas
support: 1029 x 1727 mm; frame: 1423 x 2102 x 133 mm
Tate N01507
Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894
Sir John Everett Millais, Bt 1829–1896
The Vale of Rest 1858–9
Oil paint on canvas
support: 1029 x 1727 mm; frame: 1423 x 2102 x 133 mm
Tate N01507
Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894
Stirred by the spirituality and yearning in Mendelssohn’s song Ruhetal, here Millais’s theme is death, signified by the presence of the grave, skull and funerary wreaths, and in the intense and solemn colours of a graveyard touched with the last rays of a setting sun. Viewers are invited to contemplate their own mortality through the preparation of the new grave in the foreground and the nun who gazes out towards them. Despite the pain and sadness in death, the title offers hope that it will bring repose from life’s cares and an infinite contentment.
How to cite
Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, The Vale of Rest 1858-9, in Nigel Llewellyn and Christine Riding (eds.), The Art of the Sublime, Tate Research Publication, January 2013, https://www