Siegfried and the Rhinemaidens – Arthur Rackham, Twilight of the Gods

A hero on the riverbank, and three voices from the water. Wrapped in a long cloak, Siegfried stands on the bank of the Rhine under overhanging branches, while three Rhinemaidens rise from the green, swirling water, their long hair floating around them. Rackham sets the pale bodies of the water spirits against the dark mass of the hero, in a scene full of curves and ripples.

In Twilight of the Gods, the last opera of Wagner’s Ring, Siegfried strays from a hunt to the river. The Rhinemaidens beg him for the cursed ring on his finger and warn him that he will die that very day if he keeps it. He laughs and refuses: a few hours later, he is killed.

Why it works on your wall

• Mysterious and poetic: greens, greys and bronze tones for a study, a library or a reading corner
• For lovers of myth and opera: Norse legend through the eyes of Wagner and Rackham
• Framing tip: a dark wood frame and a cream mount suit its muted palette

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: Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods
• Date: 1911
• Technique: ink and watercolour illustration
• Theme: Norse mythology, Wagner, Rhinemaidens

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 Loge and the Serpent or Loki, God of Fire, read our article on Arthur Rackham, or explore our mythology wall art.