Truth Before the Seer

Date1900

Artist Howard Pyle (American illustrator, 1853–1911)

Illustration Citation"The Pilgrimage of Truth," by Erik Bogh, in Harper's Monthly Magazine, December 1900.

MediumOil on wood panel

Dimensions12 x 7 3/4 in. (30.5 x 19.7 cm)
frame: 20 1/2 x 25 3/4 in. (52.1 x 65.4 cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1912

Object number1912-20

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsPAINTING

Label TextIn this allegorical story, Truth descends from her heavenly kingdom to earth. Pyle's jewel-like colors, often set against shadowy darkness, heighten the fantastical mood. In Bogh's morality tale, Truth meets various characters in her wanderings before she returns to her home.

Because the then-new color printing techniques were not successful, Pyle had to recreate these images in ink for reproduction.