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Source Description
The figure in this drawing closely resembles a number of trumpeting angels in drawings that Edgar Degas made between 1856 and 1858 in preparation for an ambitious but ultimately unrealized history painting on the subject of Saint John the Evangelist accompanied by an angel. Rather than referring to any single passage in the Book of Revelation, Degas distilled an image from passages describing seven trumpeting angels who unleash destruction on earth with their blasts, the voice of Christ that addresses John in loud tones "like a trumpet," and individual angels who lead and instruct the Evangelist.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
148672
label
Angel Blowing a Trumpet
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
148672
contentType
drawing
title
Angel Blowing a Trumpet
description
The figure in this drawing closely resembles a number of trumpeting angels in drawings that Edgar Degas made between 1856 and 1858 in preparation for an ambitious but ultimately unrealized history painting on the subject of Saint John the Evangelist accompanied by an angel. Rather than referring to any single passage in the Book of Revelation, Degas distilled an image from passages describing seven trumpeting angels who unleash destruction on earth with their blasts, the voice of Christ that addresses John in loud tones "like a trumpet," and individual angels who lead and instruct the Evangelist.
date
1857–59
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60760263
creators
1759
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 44.1 x 54 cm (17 3/8 x 21 1/4 in.)
cul
France, 19th century
accession
1976.13
Source extras
tec
black chalk
tombstone
Angel Blowing a Trumpet, 1857–59. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Black chalk; sheet: 44.1 x 54 cm (17 3/8 x 21 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland, 1976.130
supportMaterials
description
gray wove paper
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
verso, lower right, in graphite: 43 53 / 93 99 [underlined] / 65 75
inscription
lower right, in graphite: [illegible] ppl[illegible] [sumi?] [natural?] T A
didYouKnow
Related studies suggest that the subject is a male model; Degas added breasts almost as an afterthought.
citations
citation
Letter from Philippe Brame to Louise S. Richards, September 2, 1976. The Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
<em>The Print Club of Cleveland, 1919-1969</em>. Cleveland: The Print Club of Cleveland, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 82
citation
Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1976." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 64, no. 2 (1977): 39-78.
page_number
Reproduced: pp. 41, 52, 75, no. 53
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 213
citation
Nathanson, Carol A., and Edward J. Olszewski. "Degas's Angel of the Apocalypse." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 67, no. 8 (1980): 243-55.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 243-55
citation
Thomson, Richard. <em>Degas: The Nudes</em>. London: Thames and Hudson, 1988.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 36-39, 234, fig. 34
citation
Turner, Evan H. <em>Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 131
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, Diane DeGrazia, and Carter E. Foster. <em>Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 2000.
page_number
Mentioned: P. 5, 130-31, 290; Reproduced: P. 131, cat. no. 51
citation
DeVonyar, Jill, and Richard Kendall. <em>Degas and Music.</em> Glen Falls, NY: Hyde Collection, 2009.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 44, 45, no. 2
citation
Franklin, David. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art: Director's Choice</em>. London: Scala, 2012.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 58-59
creditline
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:38:08.662000
sourceId
148672
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
black chalk
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
af4143b1985ed83b