Biblical Art

Collection ID

ART.000370

Type

Art

Date

1914

Geography

London, (England)

Language

N/A

Medium

Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

Dimensions

Unframed, 24.25 × 17.5 in. (61.6 × 44.4 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

This painting by Harold Copping (1863–1932) depicts a scene from the Gospels in which Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey while people lay palm branches at his feet. It was commissioned by the Religious Tract Society for use in a variety of publications, including Pictures That Teach: The Crown Series from 1920 and The Bible Story Book from 1923. Copping was a member of London’s Royal Academy and a prolific illustrator whose work appeared in numerous religious publications as well as magazines such as The Ladies Home Journal.

Created in 1914 for the Religious Tract Society, London, England.[1] Purchased at auction in 2008 by J. P. Dorsey of Dust and Ashes Publications, Byron Center, Michigan;[2] Purchased privately in 2009 by Gene Albert (Christian Heritage Museum), Hagerstown, Maryland;[3] Purchased privately in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry), under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Copping was under contract by the Religious Tract Society to produce 12 paintings per year for use in their publications. The back of the painting includes a note that reads, “P. T. T. No. 76. Christ’s Entry Into Jerusalem. Ref. No. Matthew XXI 11.” P. T. T. refers to Pictures That Teach, a series of color prints that could be purchased in sets for instructional use at home or at church. Another note (likely by Copping) reads, “The Triumphal Entry” and “Matt XXI 10–11.” This indicates that the title of the work changed, as does the copyright entry from 1914 that lists the title as Entry Into Jerusalem. [2] Jackson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Lot 392. [3] Purchase date unknown, but is likely 2009 since the previous purchase was in December of 2008.

Published References:

Catalog of Copyright Entries, part 4, vol. 9, no. 3 (Library of Congress, 1914), 306.

Pictures That Teach: The Crown Series (Religious Tract Society, 1920), no. 76.

The Bible Story Book (Religious Tract Society, 1923).

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