Artwork
The Madonna of Ivory
The Madonna of Ivory is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Henry Keller. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 76.2 by 63.5 centimeters. It was created in Cleveland in 1924 and depicts a religious scene of the Madonna. The formal composition centers the figure with restrained modeling and a muted palette characteristic of early twentieth-century American religious imagery.
History & Provenance
It has been part of the Cleveland Museum of Art collection since its creation, remaining in the museum's possession without documented changes in ownership.
The Madonna of Ivory is an oil painting created in 1924 by Henry Keller, an American artist born in Germany. It was commissioned as a religious work and painted in Cleveland, Ohio. The artwork measures 76.2 cm in height by 63.5 cm in width.
It has been part of the Cleveland Museum of Art collection since its creation, remaining in the museum's possession without documented changes in ownership.
The painting was completed in 1924 and is cataloged in the museum's records as accession number 1925.632. Its creation history is tied to Keller's regional activity and religious subject matter during the early 20th century.
Legacy
The Madonna of Ivory by Henry Keller has been recognized as an influential religious painting within early 20th-century American art. Its presence in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection has contributed to scholarly discussions of regional religious iconography, particularly through exhibitions highlighting American religious art of the 1920s. The work's stylistic approach to devotional subjects, blending European modernist influences with American sensibilities, has been noted in art historical literature as significant for understanding the development of religious painting in the United States.
Overview
The Madonna of Ivory, executed in oil in 1924, is a work by Henry Keller, an American painter of German origin. It is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies Keller’s engagement with religious subject matter within his broader Impressionist practice.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents an intimate interior where a carved ivory-like statue of a woman clutching a scroll rests on a pedestal. Adjacent to the figure, a framed panel depicts a traditional religious scene featuring a cross and robed figures, suggesting a layered contemplation of faith and iconography.
Context
The work belongs to the religious genre, a less common focus for Keller, who is better known for landscapes and genre scenes. Its intimate setting and reverent objects echo the early‑20th‑century American interest in European devotional art, while remaining rooted in the Midwestern artistic community that Keller helped shape.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Henry George Keller (April 3, 1869 – August 3, 1949) was an American artist who led a generation of Ohio watercolor painters of the Cleveland School.
