Artwork

And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death

And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death, by Odilon Redon, 1899
And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death, by Odilon Redon, 1899

And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death is a print by the Impressionist artist Odilon Redon. It dates from 1899 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death is a print from Odilon Redon's final lithographic portfolio, a series of 12 works inspired by the Book of Revelation.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a pale horse with a skeletal rider, identified as Death, set against a turbulent dark sky, directly illustrating a passage from Revelation.

Technique & Style

Redon employed soft, dreamlike lines and a sfumato-like technique to create a haunting, nightmarish atmosphere, diverging from the sharp details often used in biblical illustrations.

History & Provenance

Published by Ambroise Vollard, the portfolio was part of Redon's established body of work, which Vollard had begun promoting about a year earlier, cultivating a market for Redon's prints.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Odilon Redon

Artist

Odilon Redon

Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.