Some Have Entertained Angels Unaware by Edward Clifford, 1871. Pencil, watercolour, gouache and gum arabic on paper, 25 x 38 inches (63.8 x 96.7 cm). Signed and dated Edward Clifford 1871, lower right. Private collection. Click on image to enlarge it.
This painting was exhibited at the Dudley Gallery in 1872, no. 418. The Dudley Gallery was infamous in the late 1860s and 1870s for featuring works by young artists like Clifford, Robert Bateman, Walter Crane and A. S. Coke who were associated with the early Aesthetic Movement and dubbed by hostile critics “The Poetry Without Grammar School” — a comment on the beauty of the works while lamenting their obvious technical shortcomings.
This work by Clifford exemplifies the work of this school. As a deeply religious man Clifford frequently turned to subjects taken from the Bible. This subject is derived from Hebrews 13: 1-2, the Epistle of St Paul to the Hebrews: “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Clifford’s painting is reminiscent of the work of Italian artists of the early Renaissance. The dress of the couple sitting at the table entertaining the “angel” in the centre is certainly more Renaissance inspired than Biblical in nature.
This work was not widely reviewed. Unsurprisingly the critic of The Art Journal found the picture unattractive: “’Some have entertained Angels unawares’ (418), E. Clifford, is by no means an attractive subject. The restrictions as to descriptive personal points which hamper the artist would expose to failure even genius of the highest order” (74).
Bibliography
“General Exhibition of Water-Colour Drawings, Dudley Gallery.” The Art Journal New Series XI (1872): 74-75.
Last modified 3 February 2023