Lamentations over the Death of the First-Born of Egypt
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Accession Number
1985.28
Tags
About this artwork
Charles Sprague Pearce based this work on a passage from the biblical Book of Exodus describing the tenth plague of Egypt, in which God declared his intention to kill every first-born Egyptian child unless Pharaoh freed the Israelites. He instructed Moses to tell the Jews to mark their doors, so that their children would be spared. Pearce paints the aftermath of this vengeful slaughter, as these distraught parents prepare their son for burial. Shawabtis---clay figurines traditionally buried with...
About the Artist
Charles Sprague Pearce · 1851–1914
Charles Sprague Pearce, born on October 13, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in a cultured family immersed in art and exotic imports; his father, Shadrach H. Pearce, ran a business dealing in Chinese porcelain, sparking the young artist's fascination with Eastern motifs. After attending the Brimmer School and Boston Latin School, Pearce worked briefly in the family firm before departing for...