Artwork
And His Name That Sat on Him Was Death

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
















