Jephtha's Daughter
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
167.6 × 55.9 × 61 cm (66 × 22 × 24 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
159661
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This sculpture by Chauncey Bradley Ives presents a character from the Old Testament book of Judges. An Israelite leader engaged in war against the Ammonites, Jephtha made a promise to God that if his army was victorious, he would sacrifice whoever met him upon his return home from battle. Jephtha's army prevailed, but when he arrived at his house, he was met by his only child, a virgin daughter. Here we see the young woman grieving over her imminent death, her tambourine stilled and her head and...