“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.” – Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall,

Joseph Cornell, "Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny."--Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, , ca. 1957-1958, mixed media: painted and stained wood, glass, shells, driftwood, and paper, assembled, glued, and nailed, 17 ³⁄₈ x 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 3 ¹⁄₂ in. (44.2 x 32.7 x 8.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.71

Artwork Details

Title: “Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.” – Carl Schurz, Address, Faneuil Hall, Boston, April 18, 1859. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man.
Artist: Joseph Cornell
Date: ca. 1957-1958
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 17 ³⁄₈ x 12 ⁷⁄₈ x 3 ¹⁄₂ in. (44.2 x 32.7 x 8.9 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Container Corporation of America
Mediums: shell
glass
paper
wood
Mediums Description: mixed media: painted and stained wood, glass, shells, driftwood, and paper, assembled, glued, and nailed
Classifications: Sculpture
Assemblage
Subjects: Animal — goat
Landscape — celestial — star
Figure male
Animal — sheep
Mythology — classical — Auriga
Object Number: 1984.124.71
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.124.71