The First Funeral
Artist
Ernest Barrias
(French, 1841-1905)
CultureFrench
Dateca. 1883
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 33 1/2 x 21 x 17 in. (85.1 x 53.3 x 43.2 cm)
InscribedSignature incised and heightened after casting at right side of base: " E. Barrias". Foundry name incised after casting at left side of base: "THIEBAUT F'RES FONDEURS".
Credit LineGift of the Mowbray Arch Society, 1992
Object number92.41
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a bronze piece representing Adam, Eve and their son, Abel. It is from the biblical story in Genesis wherein Cain kills his younger brother Abel. Adam is carrying the dead body of Abel; Eve holds her son's shoulders, bent over him weeping. The figures are well proportioned and realistic. Adam has unique facial characteristics: a narrow face with heavy lips, as if it could be someone specific, in contrast to the less distinct faces of Eve and Abel.Label TextLouis-Ernest Barrias French, 1841–1905 The First Funeral, ca. 1883 Bronze Adam heaves his son’s dead body while the sorrowful Eve cradles his limp head. The magnitude of their loss is palpable in Louis-Ernest Barrias’ sculpture, which depicts the grief-stricken moment when Adam and Eve carry their son Abel to his grave. The Bible describes how their first son, Cain, murdered Abel after God rejected an offering from Cain, but accepted one from Abel. The Bible doesn’t mention the funeral, but writers and artists expanded on the narrative with emotional scenes like the one depicted here. Gift of the Mowbray Arch Society 92.41 Exhibition History"Sculpture from the David Daniels Collection," Minneapolis Institute of Fine Arts, MN, 1980. Shepherd Gallery, NYC, winter 1989/90. "Viewpoints," Shepherd Gallery, NYC, 1991. "Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25, 1996 - February 16, 1997 Published ReferencesLami, vol. 1, p. 57. (n.d.). SCULPTURE FROM THE DAVID DANIELS COLLECTION (Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Institute of Fine Arts, 1980), cat. no. 41, ill. No Title (NY: Shepherd Gallery, 1989/90), cat. no. 41. VIEWPOINTS (NY: Shepherd Gallery, 1991), cat. no. 6. "La Chronique des Arts", GAZETTE DES BEAUX-ARTS, No. 1502 (March 1994), ill. No. 286, p. 63. Jefferson C. Harrison, "The Death of Innocence: Lousi Ernest Barrias' _The First Funeral_,"_The Chrysler Museum Journal_ 1 (1994): 26, 28-29.
