Object photographed by Scott Wolff. Image color corrected by Pat Cagney.

Study for the Angel Appearing to the Shepherds

Artist Thomas Cole (American, 1801 - 1848)

Dateca. 1831

MediumOil on board

DimensionsOverall: 4 1/2 x 6 1/8 in. (11.4 x 15.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 8 x 9 1/2 x 2 in. (20.3 x 24.1 x 5.1 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds from the Armour Foundation

Object number84.32

Terms

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

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on board study for the painting _The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds_ (80.30). It is one of three preparatory sketches for the large painting, and of the three this one is believed to be the oldest. On the left side of the canvas, a palm tree leans as an angel dressed in blue glides toward the shepherds, dressed in blue, red and a tan/gold cloaks. Sheep graze under the palm tree and the foreground may depict a river. A large star is on the right side of the canvas and distant buildings are barely visible.

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