Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Pharisee and the Publican
Two figures pray at different depths within a vast shadowed chamber: one stands prominently in the foreground, while the other remains low near a bright opening. Doré gives the foreground figure a strong silhouette against the lighter inner space. The architecture makes the differing positions easy to read without surrounding either worshipper with a crowd. The printed caption identifies the Pharisee and the publican. The illustration renders the parable’s contrasting prayers through the visible relation of distance, posture and light, allowing a quiet scene to carry a distinction between outward prominence and self-abasement.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Pharisee and the Publican" [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 321. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-320
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 Pharisee and the Publican. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 321. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-320