Ninth Commandment: Bear not false witness—that is low—but “hear ‘tis rumored so and so”

Artist:

Peter Paone

(b. 1936)

Ninth Commandment: Bear not false witness—that is low—but “hear ‘tis rumored so and so”

Medium: Etching and aquatint on paper
Date: 1963
Dimensions:
30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm.)
Accession number: 2023.13.40
Curatorial RemarksEmerging from the depths of darkness, a winged creature whispers into the ear of a disembodied head whose eyes seem absorbed by the message being received. Peter Paone (b. 1963) refers to the ease with which rumors are spread and their often-evil intent.


Completed in 1963, The Ten Commandments of Ambrose Bierce garnered Paone a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1965, allowing him to study in London and Paris. The Brandywine’s exhibition, “In Shadows’ Embrace: Prints by Peter Paone” (2024) is the first time in 57 years that the portfolio is being shown in full, the last being at the Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris.

On view