Study of Angel's Head for "Mercy's Dream"
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Erskine Hewitt
Accession Number
1942-50-104
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Daniel Huntington (1816–6), a prominent American associated with the Hudson River School later a leader of the National Academy of Design, created this *Study of Angel's Head "Mercy's Dream"* 1857. Working in the mid-19th century, often explored religious and historical themes, blending neoclassical precision with romantic sentimentality. This preparatory drawing captures the ethereal features of an angel's head serving as a detailed study for his larger composition *Mercy's Dream*, a Victorian-era vision of divine mercy and spiritual solace. As a figure study classified within the Smithsonia...