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Charles Prendergast

Figures and Deer

c.1917
Tempera, gold and silver leaf on incised, gessoed panel
56.5 × 69.2 cm (22.2 × 27.2 in)

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In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · as of July 2026

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FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Charles Prendergast, brother of the painter Maurice Prendergast, presents an idyllic scene of blossoming trees, a blue lake, frolicking animals, and human figures; one of them blows a purple bubble from a reed. Some wear fanciful costumes that reflect the artist's varied sources in the premodern art of Europe, the Near East, and South and East Asia. The overall narrative is enigmatic; in particular, the nude woman enveloped in a radiant full-body halo seems to be a composite of the pagan goddess Venus and the Virgin Mary. Prendergast made this by incising the gesso (plaster) that covers the bare wood of the panel to create his forms before applying paint.

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