Sarony, Major, and Knapp
The Court of Death

ArtistAmerican, active 1857–1867
ArtistAmerican, 1778–1860
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • The Court of Death
Date1859
PlaceNew York, United States
MediumChromolithograph on wove paper
DimensionsImage: 15 1/4 × 26 5/8 in. (38.7 × 67.6 cm)
Sheet: 18 7/8 × 28 in. (48 × 71.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Fred M. Nevill
Object numberB.90.1
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Audubon Stairhall
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionThe monumental painting on which this lithograph is based measures more than 11 feet in height and 23 feet in width. Drawing inspiration from a poem, this ambitious composition depicts a central figure of Death surrounded by personifications of its many causes. To the right of center, Old Age, supported by Faith, approaches Death with confidence. Completed in 1820, the painting was exhibited for a fee in numerous cities.
Provenance[The Philadelphia Print Shop, Philadelphia]; purchased by MFAH, 1990.
Exhibition HistoryPetit Museum, Theta Charity Antiques Show, September 18–23, 1996, Houston (LN:96.36)

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed below image: THE COURT OF DEATH. / FROM THE ORIGINAL PAINTING, BY REMBRANDT PEALE (with an additional 40 lines of text explicating the inspiration and iconography of the image)
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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