Description
The Promised Land
Minerva Teichert, 1888-1976
Oil on masonite
“And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land…” (1 Nephi 18:23)
The arrival of Lehi’s family in the Promised Land was a long-awaited blessing that required both the sacrifice of material possessions and years of traveling in an unforgiving desert, as well as a precarious journey across the vast ocean. Teichert has imagined the family’s first exploration in this new land as a caravan of both people and pack animals moving through a tropical forest.
The lush foliage gives way to a pristine water source in the foreground. It gathers to create a dense and dark canopy above. Leading the way are four men carrying a single chest containing sacred objects, among which are the plates of brass and the Liahona. The family stays close together; some lead donkeys and llamas laden with belongings while others manage baskets, carry small children, or gracefully balance jars atop their heads. A solitary figure at the rear of the group keeps watch as a flock of sheep, symbols of the faithful followers of Christ, pace beside the group.
What’s Going On?
The image is of a caravan of people with their pack animals. They’re carrying their belongings, moving from right to left in the painting. A herd of sheep accompany the caravan in the foreground. The people walk below palm trees. Three of the men on the left side are holding very tall bamboo sticks. On the right one man, facing right, holds another bamboo stick and also a bow. In the lower righthand corner, there is a red stick plant.
More About Teichert
In the early 1950s, Teichert painted a series of forty-two murals representing Book of Mormon themes. Of her murals she said, “They do not need frames. I put them on the walls with a half inch wood binding.” She planned to hang them “in story form” so that the narrative of the Book of Mormon was easily understood.
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