The Disobedient Prophet

1793

Benjamin West

Associated Names
Benjamin West

Artist, American, 1738 - 1820

The image shows two men and several animals in a dramatic scene. The first man is lying on the ground, propped up on one elbow, with a distressed expression. He has white hair and a beard, wearing a simple garment. The second man is leaning forward, one arm stretched out, with wild white hair and a beard, wearing a long-sleeved garment. A lion is near the prone man, facing him. In the background, there are two oxen, a visible one and a partially obscured one. A large tree with foliage is at the top, with a softly colored sky in the background. The scene is signed "B. West, 1793."

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with wash heightened with blue and cream oil paint over chalk

  • Credit Line

    Julius S. Held Collection, Avalon Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 30.2 x 49.8 cm (11 7/8 x 19 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1984.3.74

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Julius S. Held

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1970

  • Selections from the Drawing Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Julius S. Held, University Art Gallery, Binghamton; traveling exhibition, 1970, no. 18.

1979

  • Master Drawings from the Collection of Ingrid and Julius S. Held, The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown; traveling exhibition, 1979, no. 34.

1984

  • Graphics Survey Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., January 1984.

1986

  • Graphics Survey Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., October 1986.

1987

  • English Drawings and Watercolors, 1630-1850, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1987-1988, no cat.

Inscriptions

lower center: B. West. 1793

Wikidata ID

Q64537243

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