Israelites Gathering Manna. 1873. Watercolour and gouache on paper on board; 267/8 x 35 inches (68.2 x 88.9 cm). Private collection. Click on image to enlarge it.
This picture was exhibited at the Dudley Gallery in 1874, no. 365. It is yet another of his works derived from the Bible, in this case Exodus 16:14-17: “And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.” In Clifford’s picture two young male Israelites clad in loin cloths stoop to gather the mana from the ground. Three standing female figures clad in classical garments stand to the left. One holds up the mana to examine it, the second has a basket in which to place the gathered mana, while the third maiden balances a jug of water on her head.
When this watercolour was exhibited at the Dudley Gallery the reviewer for The Architect pointed out problems with perspective:
One effort at dignity of subject and treatment may be appreciated as such - namely, Israelites gathering Manna (365), by Mr. Edward Clifford. The two crouching youths are good academic studies; unfortunately the scale of these figures is entirely falsified by the not ungraceful trio of women beyond, who, though apparently standing within a few feet of the young men, are relatively on a third of the scale. The colour is an unpleasing compromise between the simplicity of the early Italian school and the tertiaries of the modern palette. More care in drawing, a more joyous eye for colour might have made this picture worthier the poetic intention and good handling of the brush which we willingly recognize. [72]
The critic of The Saturday Review lamented that this work by Clifford was one of the few works by artists associated with the Poetry Without Grammar School on display this year: “Thus a cause which has been upheld in this Gallery persistently, not to say devoutly, is left to the keeping of Mr. Edward Clifford and Mr. Walter Crane. The former again excites astonishment by a startling, though thoughtful, composition, ‘Israelites Gathering Manna’ (365). Were it not for a certain dirtiness of color, the reverse of solemn and sacred, this work would rank well by reason of its high purpose. Respect is due to an art which, though encompassed by infirmities, stands out in protest against the frivolous and popularity-seeking products of the day” (179).
Bibliography
"The Dudley Gallery Water Colour Exhibition,"The Architect XI (February 7, 1874): 72-73.
"Water-Colour Exhibitions." The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art XXXVII (February 7, 1874): 178-79.
Last modified 3 February 2023