The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly

James Hampton, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, ca. 1950-1964, mixed media, dimensions variable, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of anonymous donors, 1970.353.1-.134

Artwork Details

Title: The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly
Artist: James Hampton
Date: ca. 1950-1964
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
1st Floor
/
West Wing
Dimensions: dimensions variable
Credit Line: Gift of anonymous donors
Mediums: mixed media
Mediums Description: mixed media
Classifications: Sculpture
Assemblage
Highlights: Folk and Self-Taught Art
Subjects: Religion — Christianity
Monument — religious — altar
Allegory — religion — salvation
Object Number: 1970.353.1-.134
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1970.353.1-.134

Artwork Description

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly is a complex work of art created by James Hampton over a period of fourteen years. Hampton made the array based on several religious visions that prompted him to prepare for Christ's return to earth. His reference to the "third heaven" is based on scriptures citing it as the "heaven of heavens" -- God's realm.

Hampton created his masterpiece in a rented carriage house, transforming its drab interior into a resplendent world. He hand-crafted many of the elements from cardboard and plastic, but added structure with found objects from his neighborhood, such as old furniture and jelly jars, and discards like light bulbs from the federal office buildings in which he worked. Hampton selected shimmering metallic foils, purple paper (now faded to tan), and other materials to evoke spiritual awe and splendor. The Throne embodies a complex fusion of Christianity and African-American spiritual practices overlaying themes of deliverance and freedom; it is both astonishingly splendid and profoundly humble.

The Throne derives coherence from parallel rows of components arranged on two levels. A cushioned throne at the rear is a focal point for the highly symmetrical array. Objects on the right refer to the New Testament and Jesus; those on the left to the Old Testament and Moses. Hampton also left texts written in an arcane spiritual script that he may have understood as the word of God as received by him.

Praised as America's greatest work of visionary art, Hampton's Throne reveals one man's faith in God as well as his hope for salvation. Although Hampton did not live to initiate a public ministry, his commanding phrase -- "FEAR NOT" -- summarizes his project's powerful message.

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium…

Artist

James Hampton

Dateca. 1950-1964

mixed media

Crown from The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’…

Artist

James Hampton

Dateca. 1950-1964

gold and silver aluminum foil, cardboard, found objects

Crown from The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’…

Artist

James Hampton

Dateca. 1950-1964

gold and silver aluminum foil, cardboard, found objects

The Book of the 7 Dispensation

Artist

James Hampton

Dateca. 1945-1964

commercially printed ledger, cardboard, ink, and foil

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James Hampton's "The Throne of the Third Heaven" - American Art Moments
Converse with a Conservator | Folk & Self-Taught Art

When James Hampton was making the sculptural artwork that he called "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly," I don't think that he could have imagined that his creation would one day count among the most important works at the Smithsonian, let alone that it would one day impact the larger history of American art.
We really don't know a great deal about James Hampton. He died before he finished The Throne or before anyone could ask him all of the questions that we would want to today. But another reason that we know so little about him is because artists like Hampton were almost always overlooked. It was generally believed that if you weren't educated to be an artist or you weren't making things that were in step with the mainstream art world, that your art didn't matter. And if you happened to be an untrained artist of color, there was even less chance of being recognized as an artist of any value.
Hampton was born in 1909 in South Carolina, and when he was 19, he followed his older brother north to live in Washington, DC. Hampton was drafted into World War Two, and after the war, he returned to DC and he worked nights as a janitor in a federal building until he died in 1964.
We think that Hampton began making small pieces of sculpture in the late 1930s, but it was really in 1950 when he rented a workspace just to accommodate this project, that what we think of as The Throne really began taking shape. Overall, Hampton made about 180 components for "The Throne." There's a big, cushioned chair that sits at the rear center, and above that are the commanding words, "FEAR NOT." And then from there it spans out symmetrically on either side, one side being dedicated to the Old Testament and the other side being dedicated to the New Testament of the Bible. And each piece is mirrored with a similar piece on the other side of it. There are discarded pieces of furniture, chairs, little tables, there are vases, light bulbs. He covered everything in metallic silver and gold foils and a colored paper that was probably purple but has faded over time.
When Hampton died, the owner of the space that Hampton rented as a workshop, he discovered what Hampton had been working on. He started bringing people to see it. Although the nature and full meaning of Hampton's efforts were not well understood at the time he died, those who saw The Throne understood that it had been a man's life's work, that it was important and worth understanding better. The work was purchased and donated to SAAM and a large portion of the array went on view in 1970. It rapidly became an audience favorite, and it has rarely been off view since then.
I think it's important to consider the deeper implications of The Throne, made by a Black man during the Civil Rights movement in Washington, DC, which was a city with a large, thriving African American population. But it was also very much a place in which white men put their power on display.
Hampton's masterpiece has become an enduring icon at SAAM. It's very human scale, there are crowns that look like they would fit right on your head or maybe that Hampton had worn. It's glimmering and resplendent and really beautiful. And it's also just profoundly humble, this amazing artwork that's made out of almost entirely discarded things just carefully covered and adorned and put together with such care.
Hampton's project might be best understood as a testament. On a bulletin board in his workspace, he pinned up one of his driving mottos, which was, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."