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Adams Memorial (grave marker)
Encyclopedia
The Adams Memorial is a grave marker located in Section E of Rock Creek Cemetery
, Washington, D.C.
, that features a cast bronze allegorical sculpture
by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
. The shrouded figure is seated against a granite block, which forms one side of a hexagonal plot, designed by architect Stanford White
.
Erected in 1891, the monument was commissioned by author/historian Henry Adams (a member of the Adams political family) as a memorial to his wife, Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams
. Adams advised Saint-Gaudens to contemplate iconic images from Buddhist devotional art. One such subject, Kwannon (also known as Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of compassion), is frequently depicted as a seated figure draped in cloth. In particular, a painting of Kannon by Kanō Motonobu
, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
and shown to Saint-Gaudens by John LaFarge
, is said to have played a major role in influencing the conception and design of this sculpture. Saint-Gaudens may also have been influenced by Parisian funerary art
from his stay in France.
Saint-Gaudens's name for the bronze figure is The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding, but the public commonly called it Grief—an appellation that Henry Adams apparently disliked. In a letter addressed to Homer Saint-Gaudens, on January 24, 1908, Adams instructed him:
At the time of Saint-Gaudens's death, the statue was well-known as an important work of American sculpture. Its popularity inspired at least one prominent copy, the Black Aggie
, which was sold to General Felix Agnus for his gravesite.
An informative and engaging study of the memorial and the relationship between Clover and Henry Adams is Clover: The Tragic Love Story of Clover and Henry Adams and Their Brilliant Life in America's Gilded Age by historian Otto Friedrich.
On March 16, 1972, the Adams Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery — also Rock Creek Church Yard and Cemetery — is an cemetery with a natural rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C.'s Michigan Park neighborhood, near Washington's Petworth neighborhood...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, that features a cast bronze allegorical sculpture
Allegorical sculpture
Allegorical sculpture refers to sculptures that symbolize and particularly personify abstract ideas as in allegory.Common in the western world, for example, are statues of 'Justice', a female figure traditionally holding scales in one hand, as a symbol of her weighing issues and arguments, and a...
by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
. The shrouded figure is seated against a granite block, which forms one side of a hexagonal plot, designed by architect Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
.
Erected in 1891, the monument was commissioned by author/historian Henry Adams (a member of the Adams political family) as a memorial to his wife, Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams
Marian Hooper Adams
Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams was an American socialite, active society hostess and arbiter of Washington, D.C., and an accomplished amateur photographer....
. Adams advised Saint-Gaudens to contemplate iconic images from Buddhist devotional art. One such subject, Kwannon (also known as Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of compassion), is frequently depicted as a seated figure draped in cloth. In particular, a painting of Kannon by Kanō Motonobu
Kano Motonobu
Kanō Motonobu was a Japanese painter. He was a member of the Kanō school of painting.Kano Motonobu's father was Kanō Masanobu, the founder of the Kanō school....
, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
and shown to Saint-Gaudens by John LaFarge
John LaFarge
John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.-Biography:...
, is said to have played a major role in influencing the conception and design of this sculpture. Saint-Gaudens may also have been influenced by Parisian funerary art
Funerary art
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. Tomb is a general term for the repository, while grave goods are objects—other than the primary human remains—which have been placed inside...
from his stay in France.
Saint-Gaudens's name for the bronze figure is The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding, but the public commonly called it Grief—an appellation that Henry Adams apparently disliked. In a letter addressed to Homer Saint-Gaudens, on January 24, 1908, Adams instructed him:
"Do not allow the world to tag my figure with a name! Every magazine writer wants to label it as some American patent medicine for popular consumption—Grief, Despair, Pear's Soap, or Macy's Mens' Suits Made to Measure. Your father meant it to ask a question, not to give an answer; and the man who answers will be damned to eternity like the men who answered the
Sphinx."
At the time of Saint-Gaudens's death, the statue was well-known as an important work of American sculpture. Its popularity inspired at least one prominent copy, the Black Aggie
Black Aggie
Black Aggie is a local legend in Baltimore and Pikesville, Maryland. Black Aggie is the folkloric name given a statue placed on the grave of General Felix Agnus in Druid Ridge Cemetery in 1926. The statue is an unauthorized replica, rendered by Edward L. A. Pausch, of Augustus St...
, which was sold to General Felix Agnus for his gravesite.
An informative and engaging study of the memorial and the relationship between Clover and Henry Adams is Clover: The Tragic Love Story of Clover and Henry Adams and Their Brilliant Life in America's Gilded Age by historian Otto Friedrich.
On March 16, 1972, the Adams Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
External links
- Adams Memorial photos at Historic American Buildings Survey