Yale Center for British Art

Creator:
Samuel Colman, 1780–1845, British
Title:
The Rock of Salvation
Date:
1837
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
24 1/8 x 29 1/4 inches (61.3 x 74.3 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1986.11.1
Gallery Label:
Samuel Colman was a Protestant dissenter from the Church of England and produced many paintings that functioned both as religious and political sermons. Like his earlier The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt, which showed Moses poised on a pinnacle of rock beneath a pillar of fire symbolizing God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, Colman portrays Christ as a symbol of salvation, placing the crucifix at the summit of a rocky island. The artist likens Christ’s death to a burnt offering (the highest sacrifice according to scripture) by showing black smoke ascending skyward from the cross, linking—like the pillar of fire—heaven and earth, the divine and the human. Colman’s preoccupation with themes of deliverance and salvation can be tied to his deeply felt religious and political convictions, including his opposition to slavery. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016