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The Destroying Angel and Daemons of Evil Interrupting the Orgies of the Vicious and Intemperate
painting
Etty, William
Europe, United Kingdom, England
1822-1832
1882.146
oil paint
101.9 x 127.8 cm
The Destroying Angel and Daemons of Evil
Interrupting the Orgies of the Vicious
and Intemperate 1822-32
William Etty 1787-1849
Oil on paper on canvas
This subject was described by Etty as a vision:
it does not come from any literary source
but demonstrates the imaginative excesses
of which the Romantic mind was capable.
The work shows the divine punishment of decadence
but its overtly sexual content drew most attention.
One critic noted 'though it seems to point a moral,
...it is calculated to excite any but such ideas
as we should wish to see produced by Art.'
Yet Etty's dynamic composition and vigorous colouring
were widely praised - as usual.
Gift of Sir Joseph Whitworth 1882.146
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