Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

The Angel Calling the Birds

n.d.

Jean Duvet French, 1485-after 1561

France

An avenging angel, arriving on the heels of the militant Christ’s triumph over the wicked world, serves as a cleansing force. Revelation 19:17 describes the vision: “an angel standing in the sun . . . cried, with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that did fly through the midst of heaven: come gather yourselves together to the great supper of the Lord.” The bodies of the slain were devoured regardless of rank, and the “false prophet” was “cast alive into the pool of fire, burning with brimstone” (19:20).

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Prints and Drawings