And I Saw an Angel Coming Down from Heaven, Having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a Great Chain in His Hand (1899): Art, History and Details

And I Saw an Angel Coming Down from Heaven, Having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a Great Chain in His Hand (1899) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916); Blanchard; Ambroise Vollard (French, 1867–1939).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The last of Odilon Redon’s 11 lithographic portfolios, this series relates to the Book of Revelation from the Christian Bible. The subject had been explored throughout art history, allowing the artist to align himself with past masters, such as Albrecht Dürer. Although Redon often vaguely referenced texts, these prints directly illustrate 12 individual passages, including one about a woman clothed with the sun and another focused on a great star falling from heaven. By the time he created this portfolio, Redon’s reputation was well established. The project was published by art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who began to sell and promote Redon’s work about a year earlier, building a market for his prints in Paris and abroad.

Object facts

• Title: And I Saw an Angel Coming Down from Heaven, Having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a Great Chain in His Hand
• Date: 1899
• Creator attribution: Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916); Blanchard; Ambroise Vollard (French, 1867–1939)
• Culture: France, late 19th Century
• Type: Print
• Technique: lithograph
• Dimensions: Image: 30.4 x 23.2 cm (11 15/16 x 9 1/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Lithograph
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1926.140.9

A detail from the museum

This is one of the last works where Redon experimented with lithograph and all-black medium. In contrast, bright, dazzling colors characterize his late works.

Collection credit

Gift of Ralph King

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.