Archangel Gabriel

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
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Archangel Gabriel
Date
1918
Medium
Marble
Classification
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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