Artwork
Oil sketch for the Road to Emmaus
Oil sketch for the Road to Emmaus is an oil painting by Anton Dorph. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work uses the traditional iconography of the Emmaus scene to emphasize themes of faith, revelation, and divine presence within a religious context.
The sketch depicts the biblical moment of the Road to Emmaus appearance, where the resurrected Christ reveals himself to two disciples on a journey. This subject draws on Luke 24:13-35, a narrative of recognition and spiritual revelation that has been a recurring theme in Christian art. The work uses the traditional iconography of the Emmaus scene to emphasize themes of faith, revelation, and divine presence within a religious context.
The painting measures 335 cm in height and 252 cm in width, rendered in oil on canvas as a preparatory study for a larger composition. It is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is classified as religious art.
Technique & Style
Anton Dorph's Oil sketch for the Road to Emmaus is executed in oil paint on canvas, a combination suited to the loose, exploratory handling typical of preparatory oil sketches. The work measures 335.0 by 252.0, a substantial scale that allowed the artist to work out the broader compositional structure of the Road to Emmaus subject before committing to a finished version.
As a sketch, the canvas would have permitted rapid blocking-in of forms and tonal relationships rather than the meticulous finish expected of a final religious painting. The use of oil paint on canvas supports fluid reworking, consistent with the work's function as a study for a larger composition depicting the Road to Emmaus appearance.
History & Provenance
The oil sketch titled Oil sketch for the Road to Emmaus was created by the artist Anton Dorph in 1878. Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work serves as a preparatory study depicting the biblical Road to Emmaus appearance, featuring Jesus Christ and a staff. The piece measures 335 cm in height and 252 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Oil sketch for the Road to Emmaus is held in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, with inventory number N/A. The work has been exhibited as part of religious art presentations at the museum, though specific exhibition dates are not documented in the available sources.
This painting is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst's collection, accession details are not specified in the records. It was displayed in an exhibition focused on religious art at the institution.
The artwork measures 335.0 cm in height and 252.0 cm in width, reflecting its substantial scale within the museum's holdings.
Overview
Anton Dorph's 1890 oil sketch, 'Road to Emmaus,' is a religious painting held at the Statens Museum for Kunst. It is a preparatory work, executed in oil paint.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Anton Laurids Johannes Dorph (15 February 1831, in Horsens – 12 January 1914, in Copenhagen) was a Danish painter who is remembered for his altarpieces and his paintings of fishermen.
- Study for "Faith" and "Hope"
Suffer the Little Children
Study of Christ for the painting “Pool of Siloam”![View up a Street in Sorrento [verso], by François-Édouard Bertin](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/francois-edouard-bertin--view-up-a-street-in-sorrento-verso--d628dffbf459271a-w320.webp)
View up a Street in Sorrento [verso]
Figurscene
Diogenes visited by Alexander the Great
Sketch to the Painting "Three Marys Walking to Christ's Tomb"
Watercolour, copy after A young man introduced to the Liberal Arts, Sandro Botticelli in the Musée du Louvre (Paris)
Suffer the Little Children come to Me
Gobeliini-aihe (kaksi hahmotelmaa)
Christus resurrexit, luonnos Porin kirkon lasimaalausta varten