Millerite Teaching Banner

Date1850-1870

MediumOil on cotton

DimensionsSight: 68 × 70 1/2 in. (172.7 × 179.1 cm)

Object numberN0011.2019

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Pat and Enid Cancilla and Family

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextThis painted banner depicts core beliefs of the Millerites, a religious group led by William Miller who predicted the end of the world in both 1843 and 1844. Miller’s beliefs stemmed from intense studies of the symbology he found in the prophecies of Daniel. The banner represents the Book of Revelation and "John's Vision of the Ages" in eight clearly marked columns, each with their own unique illustrations. One of the more recognizable images is of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, each riding their designated horse described in the bible. The lower left corner of the banner is dominated by a large image of "Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Four Great Empires of the Earth" as interpreted by Daniel, in which the Babylonian king dreams of four kingdoms with his being the greatest.

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