Artwork Details
Artist
Creation Date
Materials
Object Types
Dimensions
15 x 17-3/4 in. (panel) approximately 19 x 21-1/2 x 1-3/4 in. (framed)
Accession Number
Credit Line
Allen Whitehill Clowes Fund, Gift of the Alfred Brod Galleries, Ltd. by exchange, Gift in Memory of William Ray Adams by exchange, Gift of Mrs. Elijah B. Martindale by exchange, James E. Roberts Fund by exchange, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg by exchange
Copyright
Collection
European Painting and Sculpture Before 1800
Color Palette
Provenance
Private collection, Toledo, Spain.{1} Christopher González-Aller, Madrid, Spain.{2} Purchased by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 2008 (2008.360). {1} See acquisition materials in IMA Historical File (2008.360). {2} See footnote 1 above.
Gallery Labels
In this painting by the artist-theorist Pablo de Céspedes, the radiant, white-robed figure of Christ descends into hell to liberate the souls of the righteous. Behind him, Adam and Eve represent humankind, its origins, fall, and salvation. The idealized physical beauty of these figures signifies their restoration to a state of perfection. The painting of nudes, especially female ones, was extremely rare in Spain. It belongs to an intellectual context of creative self-consciousness in which the representation of the nude human form was regarded as the true measure of an artist’s ability. Significantly, Adam’s features appear to be those of Céspedes himself.
Exhibition History
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
Chengdu Museum
September 28, 2020 - January 4, 2021
Rembrandt to Monet: 500 Years of European Painting from the Clowes Collection and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Chengdu Museum
September 29, 2020 - January 4, 2021
Rembrandt to Monet: 500 Years of European Painting from the Clowes Collection and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Hunan Provincial Museum
May 29, 2020 - September 13, 2020
Hunan Provincial Museum
May 29, 2020 - September 13, 2020
Rembrandt to Monet: 500 Years of European Painting from the Clowes Collection and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Guandong Museum
January 10, 2020 - May 17, 2020
Guandong Museum
January 10, 2020 - May 17, 2020
Indianapolis Museum of Art
October 11, 2009 - January 3, 2010
More from the Collection
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