The Death of the First Born

Erastus Salisbury Field executed the oil on canvas painting The Death of the First Born in 1872. The work, which measures 88.9 by 116.8 centimeters, depicts an interior scene involving a man, a woman, and the subject of death. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within its American Wing.

While the artist and date of inception are established, the provided records do not detail the specific commission circumstances or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its accession by the museum.

Erastus Salisbury Field's 1872 oil painting, The Death of the First Born, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work is classified within the museum's American Wing. While the provided sources confirm its location and creation date, they do not specify a unique accession or inventory number for the piece.

The available documentation describes the painting's physical dimensions as 88.9 cm in height and 116.8 cm in width. No specific exhibition history or loan records are detailed in the current sources, limiting the historical narrative to its institutional holding and basic physical attributes.

Erastus Salisbury Field completed The Death of the First Born in 1872, an oil on canvas work. This painting exemplifies the artist's engagement with narrative subjects, presenting a poignant domestic scene. Field, a self-taught American folk artist, is recognized for both portraits and historical compositions, and this piece reflects his characteristic approach to depicting human experience.

The painting portrays a somber domestic interior where a man and woman are depicted in a state of grief over a deceased child. This genre scene captures a profoundly difficult and private moment, emphasizing the raw emotion of loss within the confines of a family home. The quiet intensity of the scene underscores the universal experience of mourning.