Hosannah!, from "Dalziels' Bible Gallery"
Medium
Wood engraving on India paper, mounted on thin card
Dimensions
Image: 6 7/16 × 4 3/4 in. (16.3 × 12 cm) India sheet: 8 7/16 × 6 5/8 in. (21.4 × 16.8 cm) Mount: 16 7/16 in. × 12 15/16 in. (41.8 × 32.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 1926
Accession Number
26.99.1(65)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Hosannah!" forms part of Dalziels' Bible Gallery, a landmark Victorian publishing project spanning 1863 to 1881. Designed by Simeon Solomon and engraved by the Dalziel Brothers, the print captures a moment of biblical celebration—likely from scenes of praise and—rendered through delicate profiles of women holding musical instruments. Solomon, associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle, brought a lyrical, almost ethereal quality to the composition, emphasizing expressive gestures and ornamental detail. Executed as a wood engraving on India paper, the work exemplifies the high technical standards of nineteenth-century reproductive printmaking. The fine-grained block allowed for subtle tonal gradations and crisp lines, while the India-paper proof mounted on card preserves the image’s luminous quality. Such prints made biblical imagery widely accessible to Victorian audiences, bridging fine art and popular devotion. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, "Hosannah!" offers a window into the collaborative world of illustrated Bibles and the Pre-Raphaelite interest in spiritual narrative. Its intimate scale and refined technique invite quiet contemplation of both the scriptural subject and the craftsmanship behind its reproduction.
About the Artist
Camden Press|Scribner and Welford|Dalziel Brothers|Simeon Solomon (British|American|British) · 1857 |1800 |1839 –1893 |1899 |1893
British, London|New York, NY|British, active 1839–93