Hiram Powers, The Reverend Thomas Worcester, 1851, plaster, 24 3⁄8 x 15 3⁄4 x 11 1⁄8 in. (62.0 x 40.0 x 28.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.36
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Artwork Details
- Title
- The Reverend Thomas Worcester
- Artist
- Date
- 1851
- Location
- Dimensions
- 24 3⁄8 x 15 3⁄4 x 11 1⁄8 in. (62.0 x 40.0 x 28.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- plaster
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Occupation — religion — clergy
- Study — sculpture model
- Portrait male — Worcester, Thomas — bust
- Portrait male — Worcester, Thomas — nude
- Object Number
- 1968.155.36
Artwork Description
The Reverend Thomas Worcester was the first clergyman in Massachusetts to be ordained in the “New Church.” This church was founded on the theology of the philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, who saw a strong relationship between nature and the spiritual world. Worcester met Hiram Powers in 1850 while touring Europe with his family. Powers had been a follower of Swedenborgianism since his early days in Cincinnati, and while visiting Florence, Worcester baptized Powers and his children as members of the church. The Powers home became a center of this faith for Americans in Florence, and Worcester donated a great deal of literature for the artist to distribute among his friends.
