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Poetry (bust of figure on front façade of New York Public Library

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  • Paul Wayland Bartlett, Poetry (bust of figure on front facade of New York Public Library, ca. 1915, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Armistead Peter III, 1958.11.14

The full-length statues Philosophy and Poetry stand above the grand entrance of the New York Public Library. Paul Wayland Bartlett modeled six heroic figures for this commission—History and Philosophy, Romance and Religion, Poetry and Drama—to symbolize the different fields of knowledge represented in the library. These tall sculptures, designed to sit on a one-foot-wide shelf far above ground level, were carved in high relief to exaggerate the features of the figures.

Title
Poetry (bust of figure on front façade of New York Public Library
Artist
Paul Wayland Bartlett
Date
ca. 1915
Location
  1. Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Luce Foundation Center
  3. 3rd Floor
  4. 20A
Dimensions
27 3⁄4 x 22 5⁄8 x 11 1⁄8 in. (70.5 x 57.6 x 28.2 cm)
Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Mrs. Armistead Peter III

Mediums
bronze
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Sculpture
Keywords
  • Allegory – arts and sciences – poetry
  • Study – sculpture model
Object Number
1958.11.14
Palette
Linked Open Data URI

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