Cordelia

Pierce Francis Connelly, Cordelia, 1865, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs, 1998.43.2
Copied Pierce Francis Connelly, Cordelia, 1865, marble, 21 x 20 x 9 1⁄2 in. (53.4 x 50.8 x 24.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs, 1998.43.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Cordelia
Artist
Date
1865
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
21 x 20 x 9 1⁄2 in. (53.4 x 50.8 x 24.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — bust
  • Literature — Shakespeare — King Lear
  • Literature — character — Cordelia
Object Number
1998.43.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1998.43.2

Artwork Description

Pierce Francis Connelly modeled Cordelia after his elder sister, Adeline. Cordelia is the youngest daughter of Shakespeare’s King Lear. In the play, Cordelia, the aging monarch’s only loyal child, battles to save her father’s kingdom. The Smithsonian Institution used this sculpture as a model for the faces of all the first lady mannequins in the National Museum of American History.