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The First Funeral

The First Funeral is an 1878 plaster sculpture by Louis-Ernest Barrias, first exhibited at the Paris Salon, where it won a medal of honour. Barrias later produced a marble version for the 1883 Salon, now in the Petit Palais in Paris. The work depicts Adam and Eve bearing the body of their murdered son Abel, a somber biblical scene rendered with powerful emotion. The original plaster is held by the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. Another marble copy is in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, and a further marble version is in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Argentina.

The First Funeral sculpture showing three nude figures in a tragic embrace, with a man carrying a limp youth beside a grieving woman.
The First Funeral depicts three nude figures in a dramatic scene of grief and loss.
© Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon · Public domain
The First Funeral marble sculpture showing three figures, with two adults carrying a limp smaller figure between them.
The First Funeral, a marble sculpture depicting two figures carrying a third in their arms.
November 1899 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of The First Funeral sculpture showing the carved inscription and several bare feet on the plaster base.
Detail of The First Funeral, with the carved title and bare feet visible on the sculpture base.
November 1899 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the signature and date inscribed on The First Funeral by E. Barrias, 1883.
Detail of the signature and date on The First Funeral by E. Barrias.
November 1899 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleThe First Funeral
Original titlesLes Premières Funérailles; Il primo funerale; I primi funerali
ArtistLouis-Ernest Barrias (1841–1905)

Historical context

Date created1878
First exhibitionSalon des artistes français, 1878
AwardHonorary medal at the 1878 Salon
ReceptionConsidered a success; highly regarded; many magazines reproduced it at the time
Related later presentationMarble version sent to the Salon and the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1883; displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1889; inserted into Gustave Rives's Grand Palais project in 1896
SubjectAdam and Eve bearing the body of their murdered son Abel
ThemeThe first funeral and first mourning in history; the first murder in human history

Creator

Critical interpretationPraised for combining naturalism and elegance
Stylistic influencesRomanticism, Neoclassicism, and Realism

Discovery and provenance

Original locationMuseum of Fine Arts of Lyon
Acquisition and commissionThe City of Paris obtained the plaster and then commissioned a marble version
Ownership historyGiven to the museum in 1908 by Barrias's widow; entered the Petit Palais collection in 1902; deposited at Auteuil in 1942 and at the Sainte-Anne psychiatric institute in 1947; returned to the Petit Palais in 1989
Other versionsMarble version at the Petit Palais, Paris; marble copy at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen; marble version at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires
Original modelPlaster model

Physical characteristics

TypeGroup sculpture
CompositionPyramidal composition
Number of figuresThree nude figures
Dimensions223 × 129 × 109.5 cm
Related version dimensionsThe Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes marble version measures 159 × 99 × 74 cm

Materials

Additional featureWith a focus cross
MaterialPlaster
Related version materialMarble

Appearance

Figure arrangementAbel lies or reclines, supported by his parents; Adam holds his son's legs and leans backward; Eve bends over and kisses Abel's forehead or head
ExpressionsAdam has an impassive but protective, attentive gaze; Eve has lowered eyes; Abel has closed eyes, an open mouth, and a head thrown back, with a serene or realistic expression
Stylistic featuresA blend of naturalism, elegance, and realistic treatment of the bodies
Background elementA flint placed behind the figures suggests a prehistoric setting
Inspiration for AdamHis face may recall ancient Gauls, including the moustache
Inspiration for EveDerived from Renaissance sculpture, with influences from Michelangelo and Bernini
Figures depictedAdam, Eve, and Abel

Iconography and meaning

Biblical narrativeCain and Abel offer sacrifices to God; Abel's offering is favored, Cain kills Abel, and God punishes Cain to wander
Figures represented in criticismAdam, Eve, Abel, Cain, and God

Location and ownership

Marble version locationMuseo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires
Current locationMuseum of Fine Arts of Lyon
Marble copy locationNy Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Marble version locationPetit Palais, Paris

History and restoration

ConservationCleaned and repaired in 1998 and 2015
Display historyLater displayed in the vestibule of the Henri II staircase in the Hôtel de Ville de Paris
Loan historyLoaned to Barrias in 1888 so that he could make reproductions
Former related workA related work once existed at the Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes and is now destroyed

Significance

Critical responseSeveral critics were enthusiastic, while others were more reserved; Paul Mantz, Félix Fénéon, and Firmin Javel praised it, Edmond About regretted it did not receive the grand medal, Philippe Burty and Henry Jouin offered more reserved comments
Notable critical remarksDescribed at the 1878 Salon as 'the highest manifestation of the emotions that sculpture can express'