Study for The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds

Artist Thomas Cole (American, 1801 - 1848)

Date1831

MediumOil on board

Dimensions7 x 8 3/4 in. (17.8 x 22.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 11 x 13 in. (27.9 x 33 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number86.193

Terms

Angel
Shepherds
Blue
Black
Green
White
Yellow
Pink
Red
Sketch
Study
Hudson River School
Pastoral
Florence, Italy

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on board study for the painting, _The Angels Appearing to the Shepherds_ (80.30). It is one of three preparatory sketches for the large painting. On the left side of the canvas, a palm tree leans as an angel dressed in blue, with pink wings, glides toward the shepherds. There appear to be four shepherds: one standing behind the others, two kneeling, and one shepherd in the front with his head bowed down. Sheep graze under the palm tree.

Label TextThomas Cole American, 1801–1848 Studies for The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds, ca. 1831 Oil on board In Florence in 1831, Thomas Cole made sketches for a large painting of the angel Gabriel announcing the birth of Jesus to awe-struck shepherds. A palm tree suggests the exotic Mediterranean location of this biblical event. The artist ultimately moved the palm within the final composition and reduced the number of shepherds from four to three. Arranged in sequence from youngest to oldest, the shepherds embody three stages of life: youth, manhood, and old age. Like The Voyage of Life, this work demonstrates Cole’s talent in depicting both realistic landscape details and imaginative supernatural events. Museum purchase 86.193 Museum purchase with funds from the Armour Foundation 84.32