Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Return of the Ark
Reapers turn from their gathered crop towards a cart carrying a great carved chest, with cattle standing close beside it. Doré places the returning Ark among people occupied with harvesting, making the arrival interrupt an ordinary working landscape. The raised arms and turned heads connect the scattered figures to the vehicle, while the wide sky gives their meeting an open setting. The printed caption identifies the return of the Ark in First Samuel. The sacred object enters a populated field rather than appearing in an isolated architectural shrine.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Return of the Ark" [editorial title]. In The Bible Gallery, Gustave Dore; Talbot W. Chambers. Undated Cassell & Company edition; one hundred illustrations with supplied descriptive letterpress, undated edition, Cassell & Company, Limited. Source scan leaf 129. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-128
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Complete plate reviewed against the scan; printed caption supplies subject. Crop excludes surrounding paper and separate caption without changing scan tone. Letterpress theology is not adopted as historical proof.
Sources
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The Bible GalleryGustave Dore; Talbot W. ChambersUndated editionMore from this book
All 98 illustrations
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The Return of the Ark. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 129. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-128