Archangel Gabriel

Ivan Meštrovic

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

After the horrors of the Balkan Wars and World War I, a disillusioned Ivan Meštrovic turned away from the themes of Slavic history and national identity that had characterized his early work. He began focusing on religious subjects such as this haunting, stylized portrayal of Gabriel, the archangel sent to tell Mary that she would become the Mother of God. His closed eyes emphasize the visionary nature of the event, while the rhyming diagonal of head, hair, and wings suggests the airborne angel’s sudden arrival.

Caption

Ivan Meštrovic (Vrpolje, present–day Croatia (former Austro–Hungarian Empire), 1883 – 1962, South Bend, Indiana). Archangel Gabriel, 1918. Marble, 37 × 23 × 9 1/2 in., 369 lb. (94 × 58.4 × 24.1 cm, 167.38kg). Brooklyn Museum, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 24.280. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

European Art

Title

Archangel Gabriel

Date

1918

Medium

Marble

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

37 × 23 × 9 1/2 in., 369 lb. (94 × 58.4 × 24.1 cm, 167.38kg)

Credit Line

Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund

Accession Number

24.280

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