Arthur B. Davies, Sculpture of a Bather, ca. 1916-1918, bronze, 6 x 4 1⁄4 x 3 1⁄8 in. (15.3 x 10.8 x 7.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of LaSalle Spier, 1980.124.10
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Sculpture of a Bather
- Artist
- Founder
- Roman Bronze Works
- Date
- ca. 1916-1918
- Location
- Dimensions
- 6 x 4 1⁄4 x 3 1⁄8 in. (15.3 x 10.8 x 7.9 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of LaSalle Spier
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- bronze
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Recreation — leisure — grooming
- Figure female — full length
- Figure female — nude
- Object Number
- 1980.124.10
Artwork Description
Although Arthur Davies was primarily a painter, he experimented with different media, including lithography, textiles, and sculpture. After the influential 1913 Armory Show, Davies began carving a series of figures out of cedar blocks. In 1918 these figures were cast in Paris and brought back to America to be sold. Sculpture of a Bather is typical of Davies’ subject matter, in which nude females are placed in a distant, Eden-like paradise, simultaneously projecting innocence and sexuality.
