Cast of an Unidentified Left Hand Pressing Down

Hiram Powers, Cast of an Unidentified Left Hand Pressing Down, n.d., plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.142
Copied Hiram Powers, Cast of an Unidentified Left Hand Pressing Down, n.d., plaster, 5 x 8 x 4 7⁄8 in. (12.8 x 20.4 x 12.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.142
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Cast of an Unidentified Left Hand Pressing Down
Artist
Date
n.d.
Location
Dimensions
5 x 8 x 4 7⁄8 in. (12.8 x 20.4 x 12.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure male — fragment — hand
Object Number
1968.155.142
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.142

Artwork Description

There are many plaster fragments of anatomical details in the Hiram Powers collection that cannot be identified. These may have been models for the hands and feet of full-size sculptures, such as Left Hand Clutching Scroll, which was a study for the Thomas Jefferson statue that stands in the U.S. Capitol, and Left Hand Pressing Down, which was for the statue Greek Slave. Many pieces were also likely commissioned as individual works. The popularity of Loulie’s Hand, a sculpture based on Powers’s daughter’s hand, may have influenced visitors to request casts of their own children’s and loved one’s hands.