The Dying Tecumseh

Ferdinand Pettrich, The Dying Tecumseh, modeled ca. 1837-1846, carved 1856, marble with painted copper alloy tomahawk, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Capitol, 1916.8.1
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Tecumseh (Shawnee, 1768−−1813) was a vital figure in the Native American resistance to U.S. expansionism after the Revolution. A warrior chief from the Ohio Valley, he worked to build a coalition of Indigenous nations that would block white settlers from encroaching further west. In the War of 1812 (1812−−15), Tecumseh strategically allied his forces with the British but was killed by U.S. troops in the Battle of the Thames. The future president William Henry Harrison, who led that pivotal battle, recognized the formidable challenge Tecumseh’s coalition would have posed to the United States, calling him, “one of those uncommon geniuses, which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions.“
This sculpture emulates the ancient Roman sculpture the Dying Gaul, which similarly portrays a military adversary as heroic, yet exotic and powerless. A fictive portrait, it mythologizes Tecumseh as a timeless “noble savage,” dangerously and erroneously suggesting that his death and the rapacious expansion of the United States were inevitable. The work stood in the U.S. Capitol from 1864 to 1878, a time when Congressional legislation profoundly impacted Indigenous sovereignties.

Title

The Dying Tecumseh

Artist

Ferdinand Pettrich

Date

modeled ca. 1837-1846, carved 1856

Location

Dimensions

36 ⁵⁄₈ x 77 ⁵⁄₈ x 53 ³⁄₄ in. (93.1 x 197.2 x 136.6 cm.)

Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Transfer from the U.S. Capitol

Mediums

marble

metal

Mediums Description

marble with painted copper alloy tomahawk

Classifications

Sculpture

Keywords

Ethnic – Indian
State of being – death
Figure male – full length
Portrait male – Tecumseh

Object Number

1916.8.1

Palette

Research Notes

1916.8.1.pdf

Linked Open Data

Linked Open Data URI

Videos

Date

January 16, 2009

Information
Transcript

The three-dimensional objects treated in this lab are made of a variety of materials and often times a combination of materials. Conservators working here are trained and equipped to handle different types of stone, wood, metal, bone, shell, ceramic, leather, rubber, and synthetic materials. Treatments vary depending on the size, shape, and composition of the object, from the tiniest miniature locket to multi-ton sculptures. Like all conservators, an objects conservator's responsibilities include research, monitoring environmental conditions, and evaluating preservation concerns for objects on loan, on exhibition, and in storage.

NARRATOR: Objects conservator Helen Ingalls and curator George Gurney carefully plan for a major treatment to Ferdinand Pettrich’s sculpture "The Dying Tecumseh." In 1878, before entering the Smithsonian’s collection, the sculpture’s tomahawk was shortened and rotated 180 degrees. Written documents and photos of the artist’s plaster model confirmed this alteration. Curators and conservators frequently collaborate to figure out how to accurately preserve an artist’s original intent.

HELEN INGALLS: It was a perfect opportunity to set right what is not right and what’s been bothering us for a long time. So, I’m delighted to be able to do this finally, to do right by Tecumseh.

NARRATOR: A hard stonelike material held the reversed tomahawk in place. There are no records of the materials used, and the space between the hand and the shaft is tight. A single slip could put the marble in jeopardy. It’s a risky procedure requiring multiple techniques and a steady hand.

HI: I’ll proceed figuring it out as I go. I won’t necessarily know the exact right tool the minute I start working on it. This is always a process of discovery and experimentation.

NARRATOR: Once loosened from the hand and the base the tomahawk is removed with care so that it can be repositioned and lengthened. A dowel fits into the end of the existing metal-shaft. And a copper pipe slips into place around it. The documentation specifies that exactly 15 inches were removed, so the new extension is exactly 15 inches long. The copper pipe will be painted to match the existing shaft. A trial run reveals that the sculpture’s arm needs to turn to accept the longer shaft. Fortunately, the angle of the arm joint could be easily adjusted along an existing seam.

HI: One of the good things about being able to take the arm off is that I could see the position had changed, that it had rotated slightly. It seems clear to me just based on the musculature when it’s in this position, that in fact we can adjust it slightly back to what the artist originally conceived. So that’s an exciting change that we didn’t anticipate.

NARRATOR: Fully cleaned and restored, Tecumseh is now on view on the second floor of the museum. With the tomahawk’s blade extended overhead, the piece once again reflects the warrior’s dying moment with dignity and grace.

Media Series

Conservation Videos

Date

January 10, 2014

Information

To mark the bicentennial of Tecumseh's death and celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, curator Karen Lemmey leads a gallery talk highlighting Ferdinand Pettrich's sculpture, The Dying Tecumseh. Following the talk, R. David Edmunds, Watson Professor of American History at the University of Texas at Dallas and author of Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership, joins Lemmey to discuss the Shawnee war chief and the myth and memory of this sculpture, once displayed in the U.S. Capitol. Renée Gokey (Eastern Shawnee/Sac-n-Fox), educator at the National Museum of the American Indian, will read an excerpt from one of Tecumseh's greatest speeches in Shawnee and in English.

Presented in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian.