Study for Christ and Nicodemus on a Rooftop

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Study for Christ and Nicodemus on a Rooftop, ca. 1923, oil on wood panel, 9 ¹⁄₂ x 13 in. (24.0 x 33.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.188A

Free to use

Artwork Details

Title: Study for Christ and Nicodemus on a Rooftop
Artist: Henry Ossawa Tanner
Date: ca. 1923
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
3rd Floor
/
11B
Dimensions: 9 ¹⁄₂ x 13 in. (24.0 x 33.0 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on wood panel
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Religion — New Testament — Nicodemus
Religion — New Testament — Christ
Object Number: 1983.95.188A
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.188A

Artwork Description

This study for Christ and Nicodemus on a Rooftop made Henry Ossawa Tanner's reputation. The story of Nicodemus visiting Christ at night spoke to African American worship habits that Tanner remembered from his youth: After emancipation, freed slaves continued to meet at night, as they had done when their masters had forbidden them to read the Bible (Mosby, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1991).