Bust of George Washington
Image ID: ART046
Marble bust of George Washington with loose garment around his neck. Inscribed "Eudon, Sculpt. 1800"
In 1943, also, Miss Edith Allen Clark presented Forbes Library with a marble bust of George Washington, in memory of her father, Northampton native Charles Sumner Clark, "whose ancestors fought in the Revolution." Mr. Clark, a newsprint broker in New York and part-owner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, was born at the Increase Clark Family Homestead, at 11 Elm Street, in 1845. The house had been continually occupied by Clark family members since 1710, until its bequeathed to Smith College; it was torn down in 1936 to build the Smith Alumnae House.
Miss Edith Clark had purchased the bust in 1929 at Sotheby's in London for $750, and it graced her homes in London, Paris, and Washington. Though the marble strongly resembles Jean Antoine Houdon's busts of Washington, such as those in Worcester's American Antiquarian Society or the one at the Palace of Versailles, there is no real evidence to confirm it was his work. The Sotheby's catalogue of 1929 suggested that an "ignorant mason" working for Houdon might have misspelled his name (i.e. Eudon); most feel the French sculptor would not have let such as error slip by.
In 1944, Miss Clark donated a marble column for the bust, several years later she added the memorial inscription.
In 1943, also, Miss Edith Allen Clark presented Forbes Library with a marble bust of George Washington, in memory of her father, Northampton native Charles Sumner Clark, "whose ancestors fought in the Revolution." Mr. Clark, a newsprint broker in New York and part-owner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, was born at the Increase Clark Family Homestead, at 11 Elm Street, in 1845. The house had been continually occupied by Clark family members since 1710, until its bequeathed to Smith College; it was torn down in 1936 to build the Smith Alumnae House.
Miss Edith Clark had purchased the bust in 1929 at Sotheby's in London for $750, and it graced her homes in London, Paris, and Washington. Though the marble strongly resembles Jean Antoine Houdon's busts of Washington, such as those in Worcester's American Antiquarian Society or the one at the Palace of Versailles, there is no real evidence to confirm it was his work. The Sotheby's catalogue of 1929 suggested that an "ignorant mason" working for Houdon might have misspelled his name (i.e. Eudon); most feel the French sculptor would not have let such as error slip by.
In 1944, Miss Clark donated a marble column for the bust, several years later she added the memorial inscription.
Image Details
| Dublin Core | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Bust of George Washington
|
| Subject |
George Washington
|
| Description |
Marble bust of George Washington with loose garment around his neck. Inscribed "Eudon, Sculpt. 1800"
In 1943, also, Miss Edith Allen Clark presented Forbes Library with a marble bust of George Washington, in memory of her father, Northampton native Charles Sumner Clark, "whose ancestors fought in the Revolution." Mr. Clark, a newsprint broker in New York and part-owner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, was born at the Increase Clark Family Homestead, at 11 Elm Street, in 1845. The house had been continually occupied by Clark family members since 1710, until its bequeathed to Smith College; it was torn down in 1936 to build the Smith Alumnae House. Miss Edith Clark had purchased the bust in 1929 at Sotheby's in London for $750, and it graced her homes in London, Paris, and Washington. Though the marble strongly resembles Jean Antoine Houdon's busts of Washington, such as those in Worcester's American Antiquarian Society or the one at the Palace of Versailles, there is no real evidence to confirm it was his work. The Sotheby's catalogue of 1929 suggested that an "ignorant mason" working for Houdon might have misspelled his name (i.e. Eudon); most feel the French sculptor would not have let such as error slip by. In 1944, Miss Clark donated a marble column for the bust, several years later she added the memorial inscription. |
| Creator |
(attributed to) Jean Antoine Houdon, 1741-1828
|
| Date |
Inscribed "Eudon, Sculpt. 1800"
|
| Format |
Marble
|
| Identifier |
ART046
|
| Coverage |
Reading room
|
| Still Image Item Type Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Original Format |
marble sculpture (bust)
|
| Physical Dimensions |
28" x 25"
|
Citation
(attributed to) Jean Antoine Houdon, 1741-1828, “Bust of George Washington,” Forbes Library Images from the Archives (Legacy site: Pre-2022), accessed December 21, 2024, https://images.forbeslibrary.org/items/show/788.