Dr. James G. Playfair

Hiram Powers, Dr. James G. Playfair, modeled 1845, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.111
Hiram Powers, Dr. James G. Playfair, modeled 1845, plaster, 11 3⁄8 x 6 1⁄2 x 9 3⁄8 in. (28.9 x 16.5 x 23.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.111
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Dr. James G. Playfair
Artist
Date
modeled 1845
Location
Dimensions
11 3⁄8 x 6 1⁄2 x 9 3⁄8 in. (28.9 x 16.5 x 23.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Occupation — medicine — doctor
  • Portrait male — Playfair, James G. — head
Object Number
1968.155.111
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.111

Artwork Description

Hiram Powers lost his first child, James Gibson Powers, to a brain tumor when the boy was only four years old, soon after they arrived in Florence. One of the physicians at the child’s bedside was Dr. James G. Playfair from Scotland, who frequently cared for members of the Powers family. As a thank-you, Powers offered to model his portrait, and a replica of this bust was given to the doctor before he returned to England in 1845.

Works by this artist (1 item)

Marilyn Druin, Golden Sampler, 2001, cloisonné, guilloche, and basse-taille enamel with 24k gold and fine and sterling silver, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mel, Allison, Erica Druin, and Lauren Druin Griffin in memory of Marilyn Druin--enamelist, jeweler, and metalsmith; wife, mother, grandmother, and friend--in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery, 1995--2003; Gift of Enamel Guild/North East and Kenneth R. Trapp in memory of the artist , 2002.55A-B
Golden Sampler
Artist
Date2001
cloisonné, guilloche, and basse-taille enamel with 24k gold and fine and sterling silver
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Grace H. Murray, Vicki, ca. 1935, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters, 1965.30.12
Vicki
Artist
Dateca. 1935
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Mary Louisa Adams Clement, Portrait of a Young Woman, ca. 1910, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Adams-Clement Collection, gift of Mary Louisa Adams Clement in memory of her mother, Louisa Catherine Adams Clement, 1950.6.14
Portrait of a Young Woman
Artist
Dateca. 1910
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Mary S. Sauter, Jim, 1939, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters, 1965.30.11
Jim
Artist
Date1939
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Lucia Fairchild Fuller, Head of a Young Girl, ca. 1900, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.46
Head of a Young Girl
Artist
Dateca. 1900
watercolor on ivory
Not on view