Angel

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Angel, 1887, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.112
Abbott Handerson Thayer, Angel, 1887, oil on canvas, 36 1⁄4 x 28 1⁄8 in. (92.0 x 71.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.112
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Artwork Details

Title
Angel
Artist
Date
1887
Location
Dimensions
36 1⁄4 x 28 1⁄8 in. (92.0 x 71.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — waist length
  • Religion — angel
Object Number
1929.6.112
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1929.6.112

Artwork Description

Abbott Handerson Thayer is recognized today for his ethereal angels, portraits of woman and children, landscapes, and delicate flower paintings. Angel is both a portrait of his daughter Mary at age eleven and an allegory of hope and spirituality. Thayer manipulated the paint with brooms, scrapers, his fingers, and even a paint tube to achieve his effects. The Renaissance-inspired frame, called a tabernacle type, was designed specifically for this painting by American architect Stanford White.

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide. Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2015.

Works by this artist (100 items)

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Abbott Handerson Thayer, C. Morgan McIlhenney, Nantucket Sand Dune, ca. 1890, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Milton Horn, 1981.62
Nantucket Sand Dune
Artist
Dateca. 1890
oil on canvas
On view
Abbott Handerson Thayer, Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede), ca. 1881, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.125
Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede)
Artist
Dateca. 1881
oil on canvas
On view
Abbott Handerson Thayer, Townsend Bradley Martin, 1919, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Grosvenor Backus, 1950.11.14
Townsend Bradley Martin
Artist
Date1919
oil on canvas
On view
Abbott Handerson Thayer, A Bride, ca. 1895, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.111
A Bride
Artist
Dateca. 1895
oil on canvas
On view

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