Diana (Saint-Gaudens)
Encyclopedia
Diana, also known as Diana of the Tower, is a gilt
copper
statue, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
. A half size copy is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
, as a weathervane for Madison Square Garden
. The model was Julia "Dudie" Baird.
The first version was built by the W. H. Mullins Manufacturing Company, and unveiled on September 29, 1891.
It was 18 ft (5.5 m) tall and weighed 1800 lb (816.5 kg), and turned with the wind; Saint-Gaudens had draped the statue in cloth, but this was soon blown away.
It was exhibited at the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition
.
The bottom half was destroyed by a fire, after the close of the Exhibition, and the top half was lost.
A second version, redesigned by Saint-Gaudens, was placed on November 18, 1893.
In 1925, the statue was preserved, from the demolition of the building.
In 1932, this version was given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
.
He produced several reduced examples, which are at the National Gallery of Art
,
Indianapolis Museum of Art
,
Cleveland Museum of Art
,
Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Brookgreen Gardens
,
and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
.
In 1928, some casts were made from the half size cement cast, which is now in the
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
and his New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
. A drapery was fashioned to cover the statue's nudity, blew off.
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
statue, 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"...
. A half size copy is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.
History
It was commissioned by Stanford WhiteStanford 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...
, as a weathervane for Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden (1890)
Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena in New York City, the second by that name, and the second to be located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan...
. The model was Julia "Dudie" Baird.
The first version was built by the W. H. Mullins Manufacturing Company, and unveiled on September 29, 1891.
It was 18 ft (5.5 m) tall and weighed 1800 lb (816.5 kg), and turned with the wind; Saint-Gaudens had draped the statue in cloth, but this was soon blown away.
It was exhibited at the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
.
The bottom half was destroyed by a fire, after the close of the Exhibition, and the top half was lost.
A second version, redesigned by Saint-Gaudens, was placed on November 18, 1893.
In 1925, the statue was preserved, from the demolition of the building.
In 1932, this version was given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
.
He produced several reduced examples, which are at the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
,
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
,
Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
,
Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures placed in them, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several ecosystems in nature reserves on...
,
and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens , one of America's foremost sculptors. This was his summer residence from 1885 to 1897, his permanent home from 1900 until his death in 1907, and the center of the...
.
In 1928, some casts were made from the half size cement cast, which is now in the
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Controversy
The statue offended Anthony ComstockAnthony Comstock
Anthony Comstock was a United States Postal Inspector and politician dedicated to ideas of Victorian morality.-Biography:...
and his New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice. It and its...
. A drapery was fashioned to cover the statue's nudity, blew off.
External links
- PBS Documentary – Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture – The Diana
- Jennifer Hardin, "Augustus Saint-Gaudens's Diana of 1891–93: Critical and Public Response to a Singular American Nude", Hood Museum
- http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/pennsylvania/philadelphia/museumdiana/gaudens.html
- http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/diana_of_madison_square_garden/