 |
|
|
|
|
ANONYMOUS
[The Road to Heaven]
circa 1780. Watercolour. Laid onto early card backing board. In excellent condition with the exception of some scuffing in the upper section of image. Puncture mark on left side of sheet, and one in upper corner of sheet. Sheet size: 18 x 13 ½ inches.
A stunning watercolour depicting a soul's journey through purgatory to the palace of heaven.
Unfortunately we have not been able to discover any information concerning the artist of this intriguing watercolour. It bears no signature or date but appears to be painted on laid paper which would indicate that it was executed in the eighteenth century. It is obviously from the hand of an accomplished amateur painter who had a natural talent for composition and a flare for colour. The image appears to be a religious parable illustrating a soul's journey to heaven. Composed around a winding road, the artist has shown a man's spiritual journey, from a life of debauchery, and his time in purgatory, to his eventual ascension to heaven. In the bottom right corner of the watercolour the artist has depicted the hero within the mortal world, seated at a table amidst a rabble of drunken companions. He boisterously proposes a toast while his companions indulge in drink and food. After his death his soul is judged and found to be lacking. God points to the tablets of the Ten Commandments, while our hero cowers between the devil and a skeleton with a spear. The eye of god sheds light onto the scene while a sword; meant to symbolize the judgment of god, floats above the group of figures. Next, our hero is shown enduring the trials of purgatory at the hands of the devil who grapples with his soul. The culmination of the journey is represented as the soul's ascension to heaven, which is pictured by the man's arrival at the palace of heaven. This intriguing painting is not only a beautiful image but a true collector's piece for anyone interested in early religious painting.
|
#16142 $2,000.00 
|
© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
