Angel

William Edmondson

1 of 2

Object Label

The frontal, stylized pose and formal simplicity of this angel convey the expressive essence of William Edmondson’s art. The pitted limestone surface recalls the weathered early American and African American tombstones that were sources for many
of his motifs.

Edmondson did not begin to sculpt until about 1931, when he experienced a divine calling from God commanding him to carve tombstones. He initially fashioned chisels from railroad spikes and worked from discarded pieces of limestone. Gradually, he extended the scope of his work to include small animals, figures, and biblical imagery, referring to his sculptures as “miracles.”

Caption

William Edmondson American, 1874–1951. Angel, n.d.. Limestone, 18 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 7 in. (47.0 x 34.3 x 17.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 87.28. Orphaned work (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.28_front_PS22.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

Angel

Date

n.d.

Medium

Limestone

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

18 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 7 in. (47.0 x 34.3 x 17.8 cm)

Signatures

Unsigned

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection

Accession Number

87.28

Rights

Orphaned work

After diligent research, the Museum is unable to locate contact information for the artist or artist's estate, or there are no known living heirs.Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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