Bust of Charles Edward Forbes
Image ID: ART068
A bronze bust of Charles Edward Forbes, benefactor of Forbes Library
bronze sculpture signature and date inscribed on left side
Displayed in the Forbes Library lobby/Circulation Department, Northampton, MA.
Bela Lyon Pratt
In 1914, the Library trustees commissioned Bela Lyon Pratt (1867-1917) to do a bronze bust of the Library's founder, Judge Charles Edward Forbes (1795-1881). Judge Forbes would never permit a likeness of him while he was alive, so Pratt worked from his death mask. He seemed considerably more successful in humanizing the Judge than the various artists who also painted him from the same source, and whose austere results are found on the Library's walls. (These include Louise Appleton Bradbury's portrait of Forbes, commissioned by the trustees in 1907 for $350, oil, 45" x 35", restored in 1941. It also includes a rather formidable small likeness of Forbes, done by an anonymous painter.)
With wide lapels and even-wider bow tie, Pratt's bronze version of Judge Forbes presides daily over Library patrons. The sculptor, Pratt, studied with Saint Gaudens, among others. His statue of Nathan Hale stands at Yale University; he also made many war monuments and memorials.
bronze sculpture signature and date inscribed on left side
Displayed in the Forbes Library lobby/Circulation Department, Northampton, MA.
Bela Lyon Pratt
In 1914, the Library trustees commissioned Bela Lyon Pratt (1867-1917) to do a bronze bust of the Library's founder, Judge Charles Edward Forbes (1795-1881). Judge Forbes would never permit a likeness of him while he was alive, so Pratt worked from his death mask. He seemed considerably more successful in humanizing the Judge than the various artists who also painted him from the same source, and whose austere results are found on the Library's walls. (These include Louise Appleton Bradbury's portrait of Forbes, commissioned by the trustees in 1907 for $350, oil, 45" x 35", restored in 1941. It also includes a rather formidable small likeness of Forbes, done by an anonymous painter.)
With wide lapels and even-wider bow tie, Pratt's bronze version of Judge Forbes presides daily over Library patrons. The sculptor, Pratt, studied with Saint Gaudens, among others. His statue of Nathan Hale stands at Yale University; he also made many war monuments and memorials.
Image Details
| Dublin Core | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Bust of Charles Edward Forbes
|
| Subject |
Bela Lyon Pratt
Charles Edward Forbes
Bust
Bronze
|
| Description |
A bronze bust of Charles Edward Forbes, benefactor of Forbes Library
bronze sculpture signature and date inscribed on left side Displayed in the Forbes Library lobby/Circulation Department, Northampton, MA. Bela Lyon Pratt In 1914, the Library trustees commissioned Bela Lyon Pratt (1867-1917) to do a bronze bust of the Library's founder, Judge Charles Edward Forbes (1795-1881). Judge Forbes would never permit a likeness of him while he was alive, so Pratt worked from his death mask. He seemed considerably more successful in humanizing the Judge than the various artists who also painted him from the same source, and whose austere results are found on the Library's walls. (These include Louise Appleton Bradbury's portrait of Forbes, commissioned by the trustees in 1907 for $350, oil, 45" x 35", restored in 1941. It also includes a rather formidable small likeness of Forbes, done by an anonymous painter.) With wide lapels and even-wider bow tie, Pratt's bronze version of Judge Forbes presides daily over Library patrons. The sculptor, Pratt, studied with Saint Gaudens, among others. His statue of Nathan Hale stands at Yale University; he also made many war monuments and memorials. |
| Creator |
Bela Lyon Pratt
|
| Date |
signed and dated 1914
|
| Format |
Bronze sculpture
|
| Identifier |
ART068
|
| Still Image Item Type Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Physical Dimensions |
24" x 13.5"
|
Citation
Bela Lyon Pratt, “Bust of Charles Edward Forbes,” Forbes Library Images from the Archives, accessed April 25, 2024, https://images.forbeslibrary.org/items/show/807.