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The Death of Ananias

Print
1828 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This image represents the moment when Ananias is struck down and dies after lying to Saint Peter about the proportion of money he is donating to the Church.

The so-called Raphael Cartoons are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques. This print is in reverse of the tapestry and therefore is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it derives.

Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • The Death of Ananias (popular title)
  • Raphael Cartoons (generic title)
Materials and techniques
lithograph on paper
Brief description
Lithograph. Death of Ananias. After Raphael. Made by George Foggo and printed and published by Engelmann, Graf, Coindet, & Co. British, mid-19th century.
Physical description
Ananias lies on the ground centre right of the foreground. To the left a man and woman react in horror. On a raised platform in the centre background a group of men stand, Saint Peter in the middle passing judgement on Ananias. In the background to the left people are carrying goods or counting money and on the right a man is handing money over to one of the men on the platform. A couple leave via steps to the right of the background; over the staircase is a window through which an onlooker watches the scene. Through a square opening on the left is a landscape with tree.

This print is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it is derived and is faithful in compositional detail.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 45.8cm
  • Sheet width: 66.3cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • G. Foggo delt. (Lower right)
  • Raphael pinxt. (Lower left)
  • THE DEATH OF ANANIAS. (Centre, outline capitals)
  • Printed by Engelmann, Graf, Coindet, & Co. / This print is, with Permission, respectfully inscribed to / Sir Thomas Lawrence, / President of the Royal Academy, &c &c. / By his obliged humble Servant. / George Foggo. / London: Published by Engelmann, Graf, Coindet, & Co. 92, Dean Street. Soho, March 1828. (Centre)
Subjects depicted
Literary referenceBible, Acts, 5, verses 3 & 5
Summary
This image represents the moment when Ananias is struck down and dies after lying to Saint Peter about the proportion of money he is donating to the Church.

The so-called Raphael Cartoons are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques. This print is in reverse of the tapestry and therefore is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it derives.
Associated object
ROYAL LOANS.5 (Source)
Bibliographic references
  • Shearman, John. Raphael's Cartoons in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen and the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. London, Phaidon, 1972.
  • Fermor, Sharon. The Raphael Tapestry Cartoons: Narrative, Decoration, Design. London, Scala Books in association with the Victoria and Albery Museum.
Collection
Accession number
23732

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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