Home
/
art
/
the violet oakley experience
/
The Church
/
"Christ the Carpenter" World War II Portable Altarpiece
/
Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel

Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel

"Christ the Carpenter" World War II Portable Altarpiece
,
Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel

Object Details

Title:
Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
Date:
c. 1944
Artist:
Medium:
Graphite and charcoal on paper
Dimensions
10 3/4 x 12 1/2 in.
Classification
No items found.
Credit Line:
Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015
Description

[lower left and right in red ink]: stamped monogram initials and stamped signature; [bottom left in graphite]: Holy Dove descending; [bottom right in graphite]: Christ the CarpenterOne of Oakley's most impressive altarpieces was the monumental Christ the Carpenter for the Philadelphia Naval Yard Chapel, which portrays Jesus as a strong young man in a tunic building the hull of a ship. Beneath the workbench, his pet dog watches as he bears lumber onto his shoulder in a pose that foreshadows the carrying of the cross.

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. We invite you to share your ideas, knowledge, and stories as they relate to the art in our collection. Contact us here.

Please note that this particular work might not be on view when you visit.
Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

The Violet Oakley Experience is funded by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
For her expertise and scholarship on The Violet Oakley Experience, Woodmere thanks Patricia Likos Ricci. The foremost authority on Oakley, she is the Director of the Department of Fine Arts, Associate Professor of the History of Art, and a member of the Women and Gender Studies faculty at Elizabethtown College.
Woodmere’s website infrastructure and the digitization of the Museum’s collection are made possible by the generous support of Lisa Kabnick and John McFadden.