Raffaelo Romanelli, Esmeralda, ca. 1870-1900, marble, 40 1⁄2 x 19 x 18 in. (102.9 x 48.3 x 45.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs, 1998.43.1
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Esmeralda
- Artist
- Attributed to Raffaelo Romanelli
- Date
- ca. 1870-1900
- Location
- Dimensions
- 40 1⁄2 x 19 x 18 in. (102.9 x 48.3 x 45.7 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- marble
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Animal — goat
- Figure female — full length
- Literature — Hugo — Notre Dame de Paris
- Object Number
- 1998.43.1
Artwork Description
The gypsy girl Esmeralda was the hunchback Quasimodo’s love interest in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a book so popular that it made a hero out of its author. In the novel, Esmeralda is the victim of a coward’s rage and sentenced to death by hanging, and only the love of the deformed Quasimodo can save her. The story ends when he dies, defending Esmeralda from an angry mob.
