Lux in Tenebris

What does Lux in Tenebris show?

The seated figure wears a flowing pale dress patterned with golden flames. One hand holds a leafy branch upright; the other reaches outward with the palm turned down. An oval glow surrounds her, and fine golden rays extend across the blue-green space. Crocodiles lie in the dark water at the foot of the rocks.

The De Morgan Foundation identifies the woman as a personification of light, goodness, hope, and peace, and the creatures as symbols of evil. The title means Light in Darkness and draws on John 1:5. This is an allegory rather than a portrait of Jesus or an episode from His life: its contrast of radiance and danger gives the verse a symbolic setting.

What does John 1:5 mean?

In John’s prologue, life and light belong to the Word through whom all things were made. Verse 5 says that the Light shines in darkness and has not been overcome. The following verses introduce John the Baptist as a witness to that Light, and verse 14 identifies the Word’s coming in human flesh.

De Morgan’s painting invites a visual meditation on the persistence of light. The creatures remain in the water, yet they do not extinguish the figure’s radiance. Read with John, the image can hold together an honest awareness of danger and a hope that does not depend on darkness already having disappeared.

John 1:5 speaks of light that darkness cannot overcome; De Morgan’s allegory keeps that radiance present amid visible danger.

Sources

The De Morgan Foundation — Lux in Tenebris. The owning collection’s image, date, medium, and explanation of the allegorical figures and title.

John 1 — Berean Standard Bible. Verses 1–14 place the Light within the prologue’s account of the Word.