Loge and the Serpent – Arthur Rackham, The Rhinegold

The god of fire, face to face with a serpent. In a rocky underground cavern, Loge, his red hair blazing like flames, whirls a fiery scarf above his head, while a huge scaly serpent coils around him. Rackham fills the scene with movement: swirling cloth, writhing coils and the glow of fire against the grey stone.

In Wagner’s The Rhinegold, Loge, the cunning god of fire (the Loki of Norse myth), goes down with Wotan into Nibelheim, the realm of the dwarf Alberich. To show off his magic helmet, Alberich turns into a giant serpent, then into a toad, which lets the gods capture him.

Why it works on your wall

• Dramatic and dark: a powerful image for a study, a games room or a library
• For lovers of myth and opera: Norse legend through the eyes of Wagner and Rackham
• Framing tip: a black or dark wood frame heightens the contrast of fire and stone

The illustration

Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was one of the great English illustrators of the golden age of the book, famous for his twisted trees, goblins and fairies. In 1910 and 1911 he illustrated Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung in two volumes, The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie and Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods, among his most powerful works.

• Artist: Arthur Rackham (1867–1939)
• Book: The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie
• Date: 1910
• Technique: ink and watercolour illustration
• Theme: Norse mythology, Loki, Wagner

Your print

• Colours restored from a high-definition scan of the original
• Printed in Europe on thick archival matte paper, FSC certified
• From A4 to A0, plus 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 70×100 cm and 12×18 to 27×40 inch sizes, all made for standard frames
• Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube

Pair it with Rackham’s Loki, God of Fire or Siegfried and the Rhine Maidens, or explore our mythology wall art.