Skip to Main Content

Artwork Page for The Fall of the Angels

Details / Information for The Fall of the Angels

The Fall of the Angels

c. 1890–1900
(French, 1840–1917)
France, late 19th-early 20th Century
marble
Overall: 53.5 x 69.9 x 40.6 cm (21 1/16 x 27 1/2 x 16 in.)
Gift of Carrie Moss Halle in memory of Salmon Portland Halle 1960.85
Location: 218 European Sculpture
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Print

Description

The entwined couple in this sculpture recalls the figures on Rodin’s monumental doorway The Gates of Hell. Struck by Dante Alighieri’s descriptions of the damned suffering in hell because of their sins of the flesh, Rodin populated his portal with embracing lovers symbolic of carnal desire and sensual pleasure. Here, a winged figure alludes to the biblical account of the angels who were cast out of Heaven after siding with Satan (Revelation 12:4). Rodin preferred marble for erotic subjects. The juxtaposition between the smooth, sensual surfaces of the figures and the rough-hewn areas below gives the impression that the couple is blossoming into life from hard, lifeless stone.

The Fall of the Angels

c. 1890–1900

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840–1917)
France, late 19th-early 20th Century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    CMA Store

    Picasso and the Mysteries of Life: La Vie

    By William H. Robinson Few artistic moments are as instantly recogniza...
    Picasso and the Mysteries of Life: La Vie

    Auguste Rodin

    by Jane Mayo Roos Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was the foremost sculptor...
    Auguste Rodin

    Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art

    Forward by David Franklin Introduction by C. Griffith Mann with contri...
    Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art

    Art: The Definitive Visual History

    by Andrew Graham Dixon Discover more than 2,500 of the world’s most in...
    Art: The Definitive Visual History

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.