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Archangel Gabriel

Ivan Meštrovic

European Art

After the horrors of the Balkan Wars and World War I, a disillusioned Ivan Meštrovic turned away from the themes of Slavic history and national identity that had characterized his early work. He began focusing on religious subjects such as this haunting, stylized portrayal of Gabriel, the archangel sent to tell Mary that she would become the Mother of God. His closed eyes emphasize the visionary nature of the event, while the rhyming diagonal of head, hair, and wings suggests the airborne angel’s sudden arrival.
MEDIUM Marble
DATES 1918
DIMENSIONS 37 × 23 × 9 1/2 in., 369 lb. (94 × 58.4 × 24.1 cm, 167.38kg)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS European Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 24.280
CREDIT LINE Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Ivan Meštrovic (Vrpolje, present–day Croatia (former Austro–Hungarian Empire), 1883 – 1962, South Bend, Indiana). Archangel Gabriel, 1918. Marble, 37 × 23 × 9 1/2 in., 369 lb. (94 × 58.4 × 24.1 cm, 167.38kg). Brooklyn Museum, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 24.280. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 24.280_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 24.280_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2022
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