Three bishops
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Noah Butkin
Accession Number
1977-110-2-12
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Jean-Robert Ango, a French sculptor active in Rome 1759 to 1770, crafted *Three Bishops* around this vibrant period of artistic exchange between France and Italy. Working in the Eternal City during the late Baroque and emerging Rococo eras, Ango specialized in sculptural figures that captured the solemnity of religious subjects. These three episcopal figures, likely rendered in a medium suited to detailed modeling such as terracotta or wax, reflect the era's fascination with ecclesiastical portraiture and the Catholic Church's enduring influence on European art. The work's presence in the Smi...