The Cathedral (1886): Art, History and Details

The Cathedral (1886) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is James Ensor (Belgian, 1860–1949).

The work and its context

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

James Ensor used tiny, repetitive marks possible with etching to develop a new, expressive style that contrasted with that of most of his contemporaries. The Gothic architecture, worn facade, and overwhelming scale of the cathedral seen here in exacting detail show that it has withstood the test of time. Ensor juxtaposed the building with a dense crowd of grotesque figures that push forward seemingly irrationally, presenting a symbolic contrast between their whims and the permanence of both the church and the past.

Object facts

• Title: The Cathedral
• Date: 1886
• Creator attribution: James Ensor (Belgian, 1860–1949)
• Culture: Belgium, 19th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching
• Dimensions: Sheet: 31 x 22.4 cm (12 3/16 x 8 13/16 in.); Platemark: 24.2 x 18.8 cm (9 1/2 x 7 3/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 2003.46

A detail from the museum

This etching was Ensor’s most popular, and he eventually issued it in two versions; the Cleveland Museum of Art's rare impression is among the first that he printed.

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

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.