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Jephtha's Daughter

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

1874

Artist:

Chauncey Bradley Ives
American, 1810–1894

About this artwork

This sculpture by Chauncey Bradley Ives presents a character from the Old Testament book of Judges. An Israelite leader engaged in war against the Ammonites, Jephtha made a promise to God that if his army was victorious, he would sacrifice whoever met him upon his return home from battle. Jephtha’s army prevailed, but when he arrived at his house, he was met by his only child, a virgin daughter. Here we see the young woman grieving over her imminent death, her tambourine stilled and her head and shoulders drooping with the weight of her knowledge. For audiences of the day, this work represented a form of tragic female bravery—a victim who was innocent, obedient, and pure.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Chauncey Bradley Ives

Title

Jephtha's Daughter

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1874

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

167.6 × 55.9 × 61 cm (66 × 22 × 24 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society

Reference Number

2001.418

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/159661/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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