Artwork Details
- Title
- Portrait of a Woman (Lillian Dudley Owen)
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1933
- Location
- Dimensions
- 14 1⁄8 x 8 1⁄2 x 10 1⁄2 in. (36.0 x 21.6 x 26.7 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Lillian Dudley Owen in memory of Adelyn D. Breeskin
- Mediums Description
- Tennessee marble on wood base
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Portrait female — Owen, Lillian Dudley — head
- Object Number
- 1986.61
Artwork Description
Ahron Ben-Shmuel carved this portrait of Lillian Dudley Owen in the early 1930s, possibly just before her marriage in 1934. Owen was a member of the Smithsonian National Board and founder of the Hospitality and Information Service, which provides assistance for diplomats in Washington, D.C. The portrait’s minimal detail and exaggerated features resemble archaic Greek sculpture, which the artist studied during his apprenticeship.