Untitled (Bird)

Copied William Edmondson, Untitled (Bird), ca. 1937, carved limestone, object: 8 1⁄8 × 11 1⁄8 × 3 3⁄4 in. (20.6 × 28.3 × 9.5 cm) base: 2 1⁄4 × 6 1⁄2 × 4 7⁄8 in. (5.7 × 16.5 × 12.4 cm) overall: 10 3⁄8 × 11 1⁄8 × 4 7⁄8 in. (26.4 × 28.3 × 12.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.89

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Bird)
Artist
Date
ca. 1937
Location
Dimensions
object: 8 1⁄8 × 11 1⁄8 × 3 3⁄4 in. (20.6 × 28.3 × 9.5 cm) base: 2 1⁄4 × 6 1⁄2 × 4 7⁄8 in. (5.7 × 16.5 × 12.4 cm) overall: 10 3⁄8 × 11 1⁄8 × 4 7⁄8 in. (26.4 × 28.3 × 12.4 cm)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
carved limestone
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — bird
Object Number
2016.38.89
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.89

Artwork Description

Edmondson’s carved sculptures often reflect his deep spirituality. Birds and birdbaths were forms he revisited frequently, signaling his affinity for the creatures who kept him company as he worked. His birds appear dovelike, metaphorically conveying the Holy Spirit or themes of peace, but also evoking feelings of mourning, for the haunting cooing sound they make.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)