Creative Commons License
Study for "The Judas Kiss"
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Although executed a year in advance of the final illustration and unlikely to have been used directly in the wood-engraving process, this drawing corresponds closely to the composition of the image published in Doré's illustrated Bible. It demonstrates the way in which the dramatic chiaroscuro (contrasting light and dark effects) of Doré's watercolor technique was translated into the linear medium of print. The passage illustrated is from the New Testament, Mark 14:43-46:
"And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him." [KJV]
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1865, by commission [1]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
[Ordered from the artist, January 21, 1865; delivered by the artist, February 21, 1865]
Exhibitions
| 2010 | Great Illustrations: Drawings and Books from the Walters' Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2005-2006 | The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma. |
| 1997-1998 | French Master Drawings. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1983 | A Connoisseur's Portfolio: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors in the Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1980 | Christian Imagery in French Nineteenth Century Art, 1789-1906. The Shepherd Gallery, New York. |
| 1979 | A Baltimorean in Paris: George A. Lucas, 1860-1909. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/6/1978 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 1/1/2002 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; cleaned; other |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 1/2 × W: 7 5/16 in. (24.2 × 18.6 cm)
Frame Window: H: 19 3/16 × W: 14 1/4 × D: 1/4 in. (48.8 × 36.2 × 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Commissioned by William T. Walters, 1865
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1387