Angel Releasing St. Peter from Prison

Maker Washington Allston (American, 1779 - 1843)

Collections

American Paintings Selections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateca. 1814

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 29 × 24 1/2 in. (73.7 × 62.2 cm.) frame: 42 5/8 × 37 3/4 × 4 7/8 in. (108.3 × 95.9 × 12.4 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation

Label TextThis is a preliminary study for a large painting now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The subject comes from the New Testament (Acts 12:6-7):

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

This dramatic narrative inspired Allston to create a dynamic composition: the angel's outstretched arms form a diagonal that leads the eye to the struggling St. Peter. Allston made the angel's unearthly glow the only source of illumination in the painting, creating a strong contrast of light and shadow. Much of Allston's work is characterized by an interest in mystery, the supernatural, and the interaction of the divine and the human.

Status

On view

Object number83.8.1