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oil paint (paint)82 × 104 Cm
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About the artwork
Artist supplied description.
This minutely detailed painting depicts the young Jesus stretching after his day’s labor in his father’s carpentry shop. His mother kneels behind him, looking up at his shadow, which seems to prefigure his crucifixion. The painting teems with symbolism. For example, the star-shaped aperture above the window recalls the light that guided a group of priestly wise men, called Magi, to the newborn Jesus, and the red headdress at his feet foreshadows the crown of thorns he will wear at his execution.
William Holman Hunt, a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, was committed to direct observation of nature. This work is the third and final version of a composition the artist began in 1869 in Jerusalem, where he could study the setting from life. It was commissioned by the London dealers Thomas Agnew & Sons as the model for a print. The Art Institute’s collection also includes an early proof of that print.
This is one of thirty-five works that comprise the Winterbotham Collection. Click here to learn more about the collection.
Artwork metadata
Structured fields synced from connected systems.
| Medium | oil paint (paint) |
| Dimensions | 82 × 104 Cm |
| Tags | Christian subjectsreligious figuresChristianityreligiousreligion |
| Certificate | Certificate not provided |
Timeline
Chain of custody, exhibitions, and verification milestones synced from the provenance service.
Mon
23
Feb
note
in curatorial object file]
in curatorial object file]
Mon
23
Feb
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Commissioned by Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, March 1873
Commissioned by Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, March 1873
Mon
23
Feb
note
Agnew Stock Book, no....
Agnew Stock Book, no. 295, National Gallery, London
Mon
23
Feb
note
Alexandre Lafore, "Un chef-d’œuvre d’Holman Hunt pour Chicago," La Tribune de l'Art, Mar. 14, 2022.
Alexandre Lafore, "Un chef-d’œuvre d’Holman Hunt pour Chicago," La Tribune de l'Art, Mar. 14, 2022.
Mon
23
Feb
note
sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.
sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.
Mon
23
Feb
note
Judith Bronkhurst, William Holman Hunt: A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1, Paintings
Judith Bronkhurst, William Holman Hunt: A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1, Paintings (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2006), no. 121, 232-34.
Mon
23
Feb
exhibition
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, Sept. 20 – Dec. 12, 2003, cat. 64.
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, Sept. 20 – Dec. 12, 2003, cat. 64.
Mon
23
Feb
note
Royal Academy of Arts, Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, exh. cat.
Royal Academy of Arts, Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, exh. cat. (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2003), 21, 99, 101 (ill.), 302, cat. 64.
Mon
23
Feb
exhibition
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, long term loan, 1935-1973.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, long term loan, 1935-1973.
Mon
23
Feb
note
bequeathed to the trustees of the Middlemore Estate, 1925
bequeathed to the trustees of the Middlemore Estate, 1925
Mon
23
Feb
note
William Holman Hunt, Pre-Raphaelitism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, vol. 2
William Holman Hunt, Pre-Raphaelitism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, vol. 2 (London: Macmillan & Co., 1905), 310, 382.
Mon
23
Feb
exhibition
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, long term loan, 1905-1906.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, long term loan, 1905-1906.
Wed
23
Feb
note
John Shaw, “£1.5m Price Expected for Hunt’s Masterpiece,” The Times, September 1, 1994, n.p.
John Shaw, “£1.5m Price Expected for Hunt’s Masterpiece,” The Times, September 1, 1994, n.p.
Wed
23
Feb
note
sold Sotheby’s, November 2, 1994, lot 172, to Lord Lloyd-Webber [sale catalogue in curatorial object file]
sold Sotheby’s, November 2, 1994, lot 172, to Lord Lloyd-Webber [sale catalogue in curatorial object file]
Wed
23
Feb
note
Tom Sharratt, “Seeing Double: Shadow of Death,” Guardian, September 1, 1994, 5.
Tom Sharratt, “Seeing Double: Shadow of Death,” Guardian, September 1, 1994, 5.
Wed
23
Feb
note
Geraldine Norman, “Hunt Replica Sells for Record £1.8m,” Independent, November 3, 1994, 6.
Geraldine Norman, “Hunt Replica Sells for Record £1.8m,” Independent, November 3, 1994, 6.
Sun
23
Feb
note
James H. Coombs, Anne M. Scott, et al., eds., A Pre-Raphaelite Friendship: The Correspondence of William Holman Hunt and John Lucas Tupper
James H. Coombs, Anne M. Scott, et al., eds., A Pre-Raphaelite Friendship: The Correspondence of William Holman Hunt and John Lucas Tupper (Anne Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1986), 182–83, 185–86, 190–91, 222, 236–37, 239, 244.
Mon
23
Feb
note
M. Davie, The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh,
M. Davie, The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh, (1976), 738.
Sun
23
Feb
note
sold to private collector, August 13, 1975
sold to private collector, August 13, 1975
Fri
23
Feb
exhibition
Baden-Baden, Germany, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Praraffaeliten, Nov. 23, 1973-Feb. 24, 1974, cat. 48.
Baden-Baden, Germany, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Praraffaeliten, Nov. 23, 1973-Feb. 24, 1974, cat. 48.
Fri
23
Feb
note
Thomas Agnew and Sons, Painting in England, 1630-1870, exh. cat.
Thomas Agnew and Sons, Painting in England, 1630-1870, exh. cat. (London: Agnew and Sons Galleries, 1973), cat. 63, n.p.
Fri
23
Feb
note
Theodore Crombie, “Round the Galleries: All the Changing Scenes,” Apollo 98
Theodore Crombie, “Round the Galleries: All the Changing Scenes,” Apollo 98 (July 1973): 49, fig. 2.
Fri
23
Feb
note
consigned to Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, June 5, 1973
consigned to Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, June 5, 1973
Fri
23
Feb
exhibition
London, Thomas Agnew and Sons, Painting in England, 1630-1870, June 5-Jul.13, 1973, cat. 63.
London, Thomas Agnew and Sons, Painting in England, 1630-1870, June 5-Jul.13, 1973, cat. 63.
Fri
23
Feb
note
Günter Metken, Praraffaeliten, exh. cat.
Günter Metken, Praraffaeliten, exh. cat. (Baden-Baden: Staatliche Kunsthalle, 1973), cat. 48, 96-97.
Sun
23
Feb
note
Walker Art Gallery, William Holman Hunt: An Exhibition Arranged by the Walker Art Gallery, exh. cat.,
Walker Art Gallery, William Holman Hunt: An Exhibition Arranged by the Walker Art Gallery, exh. cat., (Liverpool: Elliott Bros & Yeoman, 1969), cat. 46, 49-51.
Sun
23
Feb
exhibition
Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, William Holman Hunt, Mar.-April 1969; London, Victoria and Albert Museum, May-June 1969, cat. 46.
Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, William Holman Hunt, Mar.-April 1969; London, Victoria and Albert Museum, May-June 1969, cat. 46.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Oswald Doughty and John Robert Wahl, eds., Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, vol. 3
Oswald Doughty and John Robert Wahl, eds., Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, vol. 3 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967), 1152, no. 1319.
Tue
23
Feb
note
Evelyn Waugh, “The Only Pre-Raphaelite,” Spectator, Oct. 14, 1960, 567.
Evelyn Waugh, “The Only Pre-Raphaelite,” Spectator, Oct. 14, 1960, 567.
Sun
23
Feb
note
sold to John Throgmorton, Middlemore, Birmingham, England, December 23, 1896
sold to John Throgmorton, Middlemore, Birmingham, England, December 23, 1896
Thu
23
Feb
exhibition
Melbourne, The Centennial International Exhibition, Aug. 1, 1888-Mar. 9, 1889, cat. 51.
Melbourne, The Centennial International Exhibition, Aug. 1, 1888-Mar. 9, 1889, cat. 51.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Leader, September 1, 1888, 11.
Leader, September 1, 1888, 11.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Argus, August 9, 1888, 11.
Argus, August 9, 1888, 11.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Argus, November 19, 1888, 8.
Argus, November 19, 1888, 8.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Argus, August 15, 1888, 5.
Argus, August 15, 1888, 5.
Thu
23
Feb
note
Official Record of the Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne 1888-1889
Official Record of the Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne 1888-1889 (Melbourne: Sands and McDougall Limited, 1890), 640.
Fri
23
Feb
note
sold, Christie’s, London, March 17, 1877, lot 56, to Thomas Agnew & Sons London [annotated sale catalogue
sold, Christie’s, London, March 17, 1877, lot 56, to Thomas Agnew & Sons London [annotated sale catalogue
Sun
23
Feb
note
sold to John Heugh, London, December 8, 1873
sold to John Heugh, London, December 8, 1873
© Artist-Unknown. All rights reserved.