Esmeralda

Copied Raffaelo Romanelli, Esmeralda, ca. 1870-1900, marble, 40 1⁄2 x 19 x 18 in. (102.9 x 48.3 x 45.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs, 1998.43.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Esmeralda
Artist
Attributed to Raffaelo Romanelli
Date
ca. 1870-1900
Location
Dimensions
40 1⁄2 x 19 x 18 in. (102.9 x 48.3 x 45.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Florence Ebbs
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — goat
  • Figure female — full length
  • Literature — Hugo — Notre Dame de Paris
Object Number
1998.43.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1998.43.1

Artwork Description

The gypsy girl Esmeralda was the hunchback Quasimodo’s love interest in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a book so popular that it made a hero out of its author. In the novel, Esmeralda is the victim of a coward’s rage and sentenced to death by hanging, and only the love of the deformed Quasimodo can save her. The story ends when he dies, defending Esmeralda from an angry mob.