Christ Took the Sting Out of Death
Date1990
MediumAcrylic painted carved wood
Dimensions13 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 3 1/4 inches (34.3 × 8.3 × 8.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number2006.71
Copyright© Estate of Ulysses Davis.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextUlysses Davis is Savannah’s best-known self-taught artist. He began whittling as a young boy, a passion for carving that lasted his lifetime. In his spare hours between clients at his barbershop, Davis worked on his art, which ranged from portraits of historical and biblical figures to depictions of flora and fauna. Using shipyard lumber as his source material, Davis reduced the wood into smaller pieces with a hatchet or band saw and further refined the work with knives and chisels. Sometimes, he added details with hair clippers.
A religious man, Davis’ sculpture Christ Took the Sting Out of Death, a rising gold tower of alternating flowers and balls, represented his belief in the bounty of heaven. Although lauded and exhibited in his life, Davis refused to sell many of his works. “They are part of me … If I sold these, I’d be really poor,” he insisted. Today, most of Davis’ works are in the collection of the Beach Institute African-American Cultural Center in Savannah.
