Artwork
Puis l'ange prit l'encensoir (And the angel took the censer)
Puis l'ange prit l'encensoir (And the angel took the censer) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Odilon Redon. It dates from 1899 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work illustrates a scene from the Book of Revelation, depicting an angel standing within a dim, cavernous space defined by rough, sketchy lines.
Created in 1899, 'Puis l'ange prit l'encensoir' (And the angel took the censer) is a lithograph by the French Symbolist Odilon Redon. The work illustrates a scene from the Book of Revelation, depicting an angel standing within a dim, cavernous space defined by rough, sketchy lines. The figure is rendered as a tall, shadowy silhouette with wings, wearing a long robe that flows to the floor.
The angel's face remains calm and enigmatic, with hands clasped in front, evoking a sense of solemn ritual rather than dynamic action. Executed in black and white, the piece relies on Redon's mastery of chiaroscuro and the expressive potential of charcoal-like marks on paper to create an atmosphere of mystery and spiritual introspection. This lithograph is part of Redon's series of illustrations for the Apocalypse, produced during his transition from his earlier, darker 'Noirs' period to his later, more colorful works.
The composition reflects the Symbolist movement's rejection of realism in favor of dreamlike imagery and inner psychological states, establishing the work as a significant example of Redon's graphic art and his exploration of religious themes through a modern, subjective lens.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is an angel, calm and composed, hands clasped before a simple censer. The muted setting and the angel’s stillness suggest a contemplative moment of prayer or ritual, aligning with Redon’s interest in spiritual and mystical themes.
Technique & Style
Redon employed lithography, a planographic process that allows for soft, blurred edges and a range of tonal values. His use of gestural, unfilled lines creates a sense of depth and ethereality, while the absence of color focuses attention on form and mood.
History & Provenance
The work belongs to a series of religiously inspired prints Redon produced at the turn of the twentieth century, a period when he explored printmaking alongside his more familiar pastels and oils. Details of its ownership history remain limited, but it is documented as part of Redon’s late print output.
Context
At the close of the 1800s, Redon turned toward symbolic and spiritual subjects, often drawing on biblical or mythological narratives. This lithograph reflects the broader Symbolist movement’s preoccupation with inner experience and the transcendental, contrasting with the realism dominant in earlier French art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; French: ; 20 April 1840 – 6 July 1916) was a French Symbolist draftsman, printmaker, and painter.
And the Angel Took the Censer
La Vieille: Que Crains-tu? Un large trou Noir! Il est vide peut-etre? (What are you afraid of? A wide black hole! It is empty, perhaps!)
Et il avait dans sa main droit sept etoiles, et de sa bouch sortait une epee aigue a deux tranchants (And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword)
Druidesse
Princess Maleine (The Little Madonna)
Untitled
Une longue chrysalide couleur de sang (A longchrysalis, the color of blood)
The Old Garibaldian
Weary
C'etait un voile, un empreinte (It was a veil, an imprint)- Et un autre ange sortit du temple qui est au ciel, ayant lui aussi une faucille tranchante (And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also having a sharp sickle)
Hommage à Tolstoï