Salvatore Albano (Italian, 1841–1893). The Fallen Angels, or The Rebel Angels, 1893 (marble); 1883 (base). Marble, dark stone, bronze, Base from floor to top of upper plate: 40 x 57 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. (101.6 x 146.1 x 146.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 97.35. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 97.35_PS2.jpg)
Salvatore Albano (Italian, 1841–1893). The Fallen Angels, or The Rebel Angels, 1893 (marble); 1883 (base). Marble, dark stone, bronze, Base from floor to top of upper plate: 40 x 57 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. (101.6 x 146.1 x 146.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 97.35. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 97.35_back_PS4.jpg)
The Fallen Angels, or The Rebel Angels
Salvatore Albano
On View: Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This striking sculpture was one of the first European artworks to enter the collection of the newly opened Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, now known as the Brooklyn Museum; The Brooklyn Daily Eagle declared it to be the artist’s masterpiece. Salvatore Albano based the composition of The Fallen Angels on a passage from the book of Revelation that describes how the archangel Michael cast a group of rebellious angels, including Satan, out of heaven. Albano stages a dynamic moment in this apocalyptic battle between good and evil, a fundamental clash heightened by the juxtaposition of white marble and dark bronze. The winged angels—their tangled, tense limbs and tormented faces—introduce an erotic element, often associated with the highly polished style for which academically trained European artists like Albano were known.
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Gallery Label
At the apex of this sculptural group, a sword- wielding Satan struggles alongside his rebel angels against God and his army (not depicted) in heaven. Below, under a coiled serpent, a defeated angel (possibly Satan again) lies facedown in hell. Such continuous narratives were common in monumental, ancient Roman sculpture, a major influence on the academically trained Florentine Salvatore Albano. Here, the angels are so idealized that only snakes in their hair identify them as fallen.
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This striking sculpture was one of the first European artworks to enter the collection of the newly opened Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, now known as the Brooklyn Museum; The Brooklyn Daily Eagle declared it to be the artist’s masterpiece. Salvatore Albano based the composition of The Fallen Angels on a passage from the book of Revelation that describes how the archangel Michael cast a group of rebellious angels, including Satan, out of heaven. Albano stages a dynamic moment in this apocalyptic battle between good and evil, a fundamental clash heightened by the juxtaposition of white marble and dark bronze. The winged angels—their tangled, tense limbs and tormented faces—introduce an erotic element, often associated with the highly polished style for which academically trained European artists like Albano were known.
***
Gallery Label
At the apex of this sculptural group, a sword- wielding Satan struggles alongside his rebel angels against God and his army (not depicted) in heaven. Below, under a coiled serpent, a defeated angel (possibly Satan again) lies facedown in hell. Such continuous narratives were common in monumental, ancient Roman sculpture, a major influence on the academically trained Florentine Salvatore Albano. Here, the angels are so idealized that only snakes in their hair identify them as fallen.
MEDIUM
Marble, dark stone, bronze
DATES
1893 (marble); 1883 (base)
DIMENSIONS
Base from floor to top of upper plate: 40 x 57 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. (101.6 x 146.1 x 146.1 cm)
Marble group at top: 61 x 58 in. (154.9 x 147.3 cm) (show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS
Base of marble incised: "S. Albano f./Firenze 1893"
Bronze base incised: "Salv Albano/1883"
ACCESSION NUMBER
97.35
CREDIT LINE
Gift of A. Augustus Healy
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor
CAPTION
Salvatore Albano (Italian, 1841–1893). The Fallen Angels, or The Rebel Angels, 1893 (marble); 1883 (base). Marble, dark stone, bronze, Base from floor to top of upper plate: 40 x 57 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. (101.6 x 146.1 x 146.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 97.35. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 97.35_PS2.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 97.35_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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