Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Death of Absalom
A rider is caught beneath the branches of a large tree as another armed figure approaches below. The horse continues into the distance while the suspended body has lost that movement. Doré makes the tree’s spreading limbs the structure of the trap, joining a natural setting to the scene’s violence. The caption identifies Absalom’s death. The design holds the viewer between interrupted flight and an approaching weapon, with the contrast in direction giving the moment its particular urgency.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Death of Absalom" [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 145. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-144
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
From the book
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 Death of Absalom. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 145. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-144