Eve Bewailing the Death of Abel
1800–1810
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 10 1/16 × 4 1/4 × 5 5/8 in. (25.6 × 10.8 × 14.3 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Isaacson-Draper Foundation Gift, 2017
Accession Number
2017.186
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate terracotta sculpture *Eve Bewailing the Death Abel* (1800–1810), British neoclassical artist Joseph Nollekens captures poignant moment from the Book of Genesis. Eve, the biblical mother of, mourns the murder of son Abel by his brother Cain, her grief etched in every fluid line and expressive gesture. Measuring just over 10 inches tall, this small-scale work invites close contemplation, evoking profound sadness through Eve's slumped posture and tender sorrow. Nollekens, a leading sculptor of his era and master of marble portrait busts for British aristocracy, here employs terra...