Untitled (Hart/​Heart)

Ulysses Davis, Untitled (Hart/Heart), ca. 1950-1960, carved wood, 34 × 35 × 7 in. (86.4 × 88.9 × 17.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.48

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Hart/​Heart)
Date
ca. 1950-1960
Dimensions
34 × 35 × 7 in. (86.4 × 88.9 × 17.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
carved wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — deer
  • Emblem — heart
Object Number
2015.48

Artwork Description

Ulysses Davis carved this relief sculpture for his wife. Davis plays with words and form by depicting a hart, or mature male deer, bleating to his mate inside a heart-shaped frame. Playful young deer bound around a second border, which is set with additional heart shapes carved in relief. The piece, a departure from Davis’s better-known presidential busts and fantastic animals, speaks about familial love.

Works by this artist (9 items)

Edward Hopper, Ryder's House, 1933, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 1981.76
Ryder’s House
Date1933
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Hopper, People in the Sun, 1960, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.61
People in the Sun
Date1960
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Hopper, Cape Cod Morning, 1950, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.92
Cape Cod Morning
Date1950
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Hopper, (Standing Nude), n.d., charcoal on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Exchange with the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1972.16
(Standing Nude)
Daten.d.
charcoal on paper
Not on view