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 (6 items)

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George Murphy, Hedge and Cypress, 1977, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.52
Hedge and Cypress
Artist
Date1977
oil on canvas
On view
George Murphy, At Back of the Atheneum I, 1980, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.48, © 1980, George Murphy
At Back of the Atheneum I
Artist
Date1980
oil on canvas
Not on view
George Murphy, Cliff Road Hitching Post, 1982, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.66, © 1982, George Murphy
Cliff Road Hitching Post
Artist
Date1982
oil on canvas
Not on view
George Murphy, Back of Atheneum II, 1981, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.51, © 1981, George Murphy
Back of Atheneum II
Artist
Date1981
watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Ralph Rosenborg, The Wind and the Sea, 1939, watercolor, ink and graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.325
The Wind and the Sea
Artist
Date1939
watercolor, ink and graphite on paper
Not on view