Child’s Hand

Hiram Powers, Child's Hand, 1851, plaster and metal pins, 774 in. (17.817.810.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.131
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Child’s Hand
Artist
Date
1851
Dimensions
774 in. (17.817.810.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster and metal pins
Classifications
Subjects
  • Study — anatomical study
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Figure — fragment — hand
Object Number
1968.155.131

Artwork Description

Hiram Powers (1805-73) was among the first American sculptors to establish an international reputation, rising to fame in the late 1840s with his Greek Slave, a life-size marble sculpture of a chained, nude woman. Few could have predicted Powers' incredible success from his humble beginnings on a farm in Ohio or his time in Washington, DC, where he made somber plaster portraits of four early presidents and other luminaries. Powers moved to Florence, Italy, with his wife and young children in 1837, lured there by its abundance of fine marble and highly skilled stone carvers. He quickly realized there was much to gain from making ideal compositions of nude figures drawn from literary, biblical, and historical themes. Powers set up a studio dividing labor among several assistants and, using the latest technologies such as the pointing machine, to create numerous replicas of his most popular designs in marble. Although he always intended to return to the United States, Powers remained abroad until his death and became an unofficial ambassador for American culture. He was a central figure in the expatriate colony in Florence, where he masterfully marketed his work to British nobles and American collectors touring Europe.

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Little Sweet, 1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1076
Little Sweet
Date1944
oil on paperboard
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Untitled
Date1979
ink, colored ink, pencil and pastel on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Woman in Profile, ca. 1944, recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper
verso: pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.485R-V
Portrait of a Woman in Profile
Dateca. 1944
recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Seated Female Nude, ca. 1939-1940, brush and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.247
Seated Female Nude
Dateca. 1939-1940
brush and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Mountains, Norway, ca. 1935-1938, recto: brush and ink on paper
verso: brush and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.122R-V
Mountains, Norway
Dateca. 1935-1938
recto: brush and ink on paper verso: brush and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view