The Cadence of Autumn 1905

Evelyn De Morgan’s *The Cadence of Autumn* (1905) is a Pre-Raphaelite-inspired oil painting that depicts the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The painting features four female figures, each representing a different stage of autumn. The first figure, in a purple gown, is gathering fruit, signifying the abundance of summer. The second figure, in a yellow gown, is offering a net full of apples to the third figure, who wears a red gown and accepts the net with a sorrowful expression. The fourth figure in a purple gown, is shown letting fall leaves from her hand symbolizing the decline of autumn. The figures are set against a backdrop of a picturesque rural landscape with a watermill in the distance, suggesting the cyclical nature of time and the passing of seasons.