Watercolor
Medium
Ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions
29 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (74.9 x 59.7 cm)
Classification
Watercolor
Culture
American, Shaker
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.10.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant *Watercolor* by Eugene B. Cunningham, in 1882, the spiritual artistry of the United Society of Believers in’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers Produced within their tight-knit American communities, which emphasized simplicity, communal living, and celibacy, this ink and watercolor on paper measures an impressive 29½ × 23½ inches. Shaker "gift drawings" like this one were often seen as divine inspirations, blending folk art traditions with religious symbolism during a period when the sect was waning in the late 19th century. The composition bursts with motifs of birds, flowe...
About the Artist
Eugene B. Cunningham|United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (“Shakers”) ( |American) · |1750 – |9999
|American, active ca. 1750–present