William Zorach, Mother and Child (study), ca. 1926, plaster, 6 1⁄8 x 2 1⁄2 x 2 3⁄8 in. (15.5 x 6.3 x 6.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.153
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Mother and Child (study)
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1926
- Location
- Dimensions
- 6 1⁄8 x 2 1⁄2 x 2 3⁄8 in. (15.5 x 6.3 x 6.0 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- plaster
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Figure group — family — nude
- Study — sculpture model
- Figure group — family — mother and child
- Object Number
- 1968.154.153
Artwork Description
William Zorach represented the bond between mother and child in different compositions. He often formed the figures with very little space between them, creating an inseparable unit in which the mother holds the child in a protective embrace. Zorach worked slowly and painstakingly on his monumental sculptures, often creating smaller studies of the subject. The final carving of Devotion was purchased by the Laurence Rockefellers, while Mother and Child (study) was made into a monumental stone carving that won the Art Institute of Chicago’s Logan Medal in 1931. Zorach spent three difficult years carving it, and afterwards said, “[It] is my finest piece of sculpture.”