Mother and Child (Dike and Eirene)

Copied William Zorach, Mother and Child (Dike and Eirene), 1918, plaster, 14 7⁄8 x 7 1⁄8 x 7 1⁄4 in. (37.8 x 18.2 x 18.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.171

Artwork Details

Title
Mother and Child (Dike and Eirene)
Artist
Date
1918
Location
Dimensions
14 7⁄8 x 7 1⁄8 x 7 1⁄4 in. (37.8 x 18.2 x 18.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Mythology — classical — Dike
  • Allegory — civic — peace
  • Allegory — quality — justice
  • Figure group — family — mother and child
  • Mythology — classical — Eirene
Object Number
1968.154.171
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.154.171

Artwork Description

William Zorach represented the bond between mother and child in different compositions. He often formed the figures with very little space between them, creating an inseparable unit in which the mother holds the child in a protective embrace. Zorach worked slowly and painstakingly on his monumental sculptures, often creating smaller studies of the subject. The final carving of Devotion was purchased by the Laurence Rockefellers, while Mother and Child (study) was made into a monumental stone carving that won the Art Institute of Chicago’s Logan Medal in 1931. Zorach spent three difficult years carving it, and afterwards said, “[It] is my finest piece of sculpture.”