Pillar of Angels, Strasbourg Cathedral

c. 1858

Charles David Winter

Associated Names
Charles David Winter

Artist, French, 1821 - 1904

The sculpture depicts two full-length standing figures dressed in long flowing robes. The figures are connected to a column, positioned in architectural niches with decorative elements above their heads that resemble small castles or circular crowns with parapets. The material of the sculpture appears to be stone, showing a monochromatic tone consistent with aged or weathered stonework, featuring variations of gray and off-white. The figures are intricately carved, with detailed beards and expressions, and are positioned at eye level on the column, situated on circular bases that protrude slightly from the column itself. The surrounding environment suggests the interior of a cathedral or similar historical, religious site, marked by contrasts of light and shadow and enclosed by wrought iron fencing.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    salted paper print

  • Credit Line

    Robert B. Menschel Fund

  • Dimensions

    image/sheet: 30.5 × 20.1 cm (12 × 7 15/16 in.)
    mount: 44.9 × 33.4 cm (17 11/16 × 13 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2000.26.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes, Paris, France; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 27 October 1999, no. 155); (Hans P. Kraus, Jr., Inc., New York, 1999); NGA purchase, 2000.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

all by later hands, on mount: lower left in graphite: Strasbourg Cathedrale Pilier de l'ange; lower right in graphite: 20-30 / Charles Winter

Wikidata ID

Q64145748

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