Cleveland Museum of Art

And He Had in His Right Hand Seven Stars; and Out of His Mouth Went a Sharp Two-Edged Sword

Odilon Redon

Date

1899

Medium

lithograph on China paper laid on wove paper

Culture

France, late 19th Century

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The last of Odilon Redon’s 11 lithographic portfolios, this series relates to the Book of Revelation from the Christian Bible. The subject had been explored throughout art history, allowing the artist to align himself with past masters, such as Albrecht Dürer. Although Redon often vaguely referenced texts, these prints directly illustrate 12 individual passages, including one about a woman clothed with the sun and another focused on a great star falling from heaven. By the time he created this portfolio, Redon’s reputation was well established. The project was published by art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who began to sell and promote Redon’s work about a year earlier, building a market for his prints in Paris and abroad. This is one of the last works where Redon experimented with lithograph and all-black medium. In contrast, bright, dazzling colors characterize his late works.

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