Woman of Samaria - Rinehart

We just learned about the statue of Benjamin Franklin by Hiram Powers in the US in 1862.

Another neoclassical sculpture is the Woman of Samaria, sculpted by William Henry Rinehart in Washington DC, in 1859.

William Henry Rinehart was born in Maryland, and grew up as a farmer. When he was about 20 years old he got another job as a helper to a stone-cutter, where he studied sculpture.

At 30, he moved to Italy to learn more about sculpture, and did some marble reliefs. He came back to the US a few years later and opened his own studio where he made a lot of marble and bronze sculptures for the US Capitol of Washington D.C.

Eventually he moved back to Italy and lived the rest of his life in Rome.

This famous sculpture of his is of the woman in the book of John in the Bible who came to the well to get water, and she met Jesus.
He asks her to get him some water, and then tells her he can give her eternal life.


(from: wikipedia - william henry rinehart)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cloister's Cross

Benjamin Franklin - Hiram Powers

We just learned about the statue of George Washington by Horatio Greenough.

Another neoclassical sculpture is Benjamin Franklin by Hiram Powers in 1862 in the US.

Hiram was born in the US, and after making some famous sculptures he moved to Florence Italy, so he could get marble for sculpting easier.


(from: wikipedia - hiram powers)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bernward Doors

George Washington - Greenough

We just learned about the statue Spinning Girl by Rudolph Schadow in 1810 in Rome.

Another famous neoclassical sculpture is George Washington by Horatio Greenough in 1832 in America.

We learned a while back of one of the most famous sculptures of Zeus at Olympia that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

When Greenough was asked to make a statue of George Washington to be outside the US Capitol building, he felt that Washington was such an important person in history that he should be looked up to like the Greeks looked up to Zeus.

So he made a statue of George Washington that looked just like the old statue of Zeus at Olympia, with one arm raised to heaven and another holding out a sword to show Washington handing over the power to the people.

A lot of people did not like the statue because Washington did not have a shirt on, and it made it look like he was a god and not just a person to be respected, so eventually they moved the statue away from the capitol and into a museum.


(from: wikipedia - george washington (greenough))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Baptismal Font at St. Bartholomew's Church, Liège

Spinning Girl - Schadow

We just learned about the Jane Browne Memorial by John Flaxman in England.

Another Neoclassical sculptor is Rudolph Schadow, the son of Johann Gottfried Schadow that we learned about before, that made the statue of the two princesses.

Rudolph learned from his father, and one of his most famous sculptures was of a Spinning Girl made in Rome around 1810.


(from: wikipedia - rudolph schadow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Reliquary of St. Maurus

Jane Browne Memorial - Flaxman

We just learned about the sculpture of George Washington by Antonio Canova in 1820.

Another famous sculpture is the Jane Browne Memorial made by John Flaxman in 1783 in Badger, Shropshire, England.

Flaxman was well known by a lot of people for making memorials for people that made the figures look tender and innocent, so he had a lot of work making those.


(from: wikipedia - john flaxman)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gloucester Candlestick

George Washington - Canova

We just learned about the Columbus Doors by Randolph Rogers in 1855, in Washington D.C. at the US Capitol.

One of the most famous neoclassical sculptors of all time was Antonio Canova.
He was born in northern Italy, and traveled to Venice and Rome, and studied Michelangelo's works.
In his lifetime many people thought he was the best artist in Europe, and he made sculptures for France, England, Russia, Poland, Australia, Holland and even America.

He did sculptures of famous people like Napoleon and George Washington, and even designed and built his own church in Possagno, the town where he was born.

In 1820 he made a sculpture of George Washington while he was living in Rome, and had it sent over the Atlantic to North Carolina.


(from: wikipedia - antonio canova)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stavelot Triptych

Columbus Doors - Rogers

We just learned about the Character Heads by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels.

Another neoclassical art sculpture is the Columbus Doors by Randolph Rogers in 1855, in Washington D.C.

These bronze doors are on the east part of the US Capitol Building, and they show the life of Christopher Columbus.
There are 16 panels on the doors, with two archways above, telling everything from Columbus before he left for America, to him landing in the new world.

Rogers was an American sculptor born in New York, who later moved to Italy to work with other famous sculptors.
He made many famous American sculptures like these door and other statues across the country.


(from: wikipedia - columbus doors)


(from: wikipedia - columbus doors)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shrine of the Three Kings

Character Heads - Messerschmidt

We just learned about the Tomb of the countess of Cellese by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels in Rome 1828.

Another famous bunch of neoclassical sculptures are the Character Heads by German-Austrian Franz Xaver Messerschmidt in Austria, 1770 AD.








(from: wikipedia - franz xaver messerschmidt)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brunswich Lion

Tomb of the countess of Celles - Kessels

We just learned about the sculpture The Prinzessinengruppe by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

Another famous neoclassical sculpture is the Tomb of the countess of Celles by Dutch artist Mathieu Kessels, in Rome 1828.

Kessels was born in the Netherlands, and traveled to Paris France and St. Petersburg Russia to learn how to be a sculptor.

Later he moved to Rome Italy, and met the famous artist Bertel Thorwaldsen, who became his teacher and helped him become a very good and famous artist.

This sculpture was made for a tomb of a famous Countess, showing her lying down as an angel comes to take her to heaven.


(from: wikipedia - mathieu kessels)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Muiredach's High Cross

The Prinzessinengruppe - Schadow

We just learned about the Axel Oxenstierna and History by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel in 1772 in Stockholm Sweden.

Another famous sculpture is The Prinzessinengruppe, a statue of the famous Princess Friederica and her sister Louise, sculpted by German artist Johann Gottfried Schadow, in Berlin, 1797.

These two sisters were very beautiful and charming, and they went on to marry brothers that were Frederick and Louis.
Frederica married Louis, and Louise married Frederick.
The sculpture is called Prinzessinengruppe, which means princess group.

Their children went on to be kings, queens, emperors and empresses of many countries like Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Russia and Poland.

Louise was also the Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother of the famous Anastasia from the stories from Russia.


(from: wikipedia - johann gottfried schadow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aberlemno Sculptured Stones

Axel Oxenstierna and History - Sergel

We just learned about the famous sculpture of George Washington by Jean-Antoine Houdon, in 1785.

Another Neoclassical sculpture is the bronze statue of Axel Oxenstierna and History by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel in 1772 in Stockholm Sweden.

Oxenstierna was one of the important people that worked for the King of Sweden, so Sergel sculpted the famous mythological character of History as a person who was writing down all of the things that Oxenstierna told him that the king did.


(from: wikipedia - johan tobias sergel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stenkvista Runestone

George Washington - Houdon

We just learned about the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument by Danish Bertel Thorwaldsen in Poland.

Another famous sculpture is the bust of George Washington by French artist Jean-Antoine Houdon, in 1785.
A "bust" is a sculpture of just the head and shoulders of a person.

Houdon was a famous sculptor in France, and he really liked the people at the time that were pushing for better knowledge, freedom and making lives better, so he made sculptures of people like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.

George Washington sat for this sculpture with Houdon, where he made clay models and a plaster mask of Washington.

The models that Houdon used were reused many times for other sculptures of Washington through the years.


(from: wikipedia - jean-antoine houdon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gero Cross

Nicolaus Copernicus Monument - Thorwaldsen

We just learned about the Arc de Triomphe by Jean-Pierre Cortot in Paris, France.

Another neoclassical sculpture is the statue of Copernicus by Bertel Thorwaldsen.

Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, famous for telling everyone that the sun was the middle of our galaxy, because people used to think the earth was at the middle.

Bertel Thorwaldsen was a famous sculptor, and was given the job to make this famous statue honoring Copernicus.

During World War II, the nazi army took the statue down and had plans to melt it, but they lost the war before they melted it down so the Polish people put the statue back up.


(from: wikipedia - nicolaus copernicus monument, warsaw)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Golden Madonna of Essen

Arc de Triomphe - Cortot

We just learned about the Rococo or Rocaille sculpture Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship by Duplessis in Paris 1757.

In art history, after Rococo came a type of art called NeoClassicism, which tried to make simple and pleasing all around.

One of the most famous Neoclassical sculptures is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France in 1806 by sculptor Jean-Pierre Cortot.

This arch was built to honor the people who fought and died for France.
The names of hundreds of soldiers are engraved all around the arch.

There are many sculptures all around the arch, like the four very detailed groups of sculptures on the pillars.
The sides have six relief sculptures, the arches have detailed sculptures, and even the ceiling of the arch has 21 sculpted roses.

The arch is in the middle of a part of the city with many roads leading to it.





(from: wikipedia - arc de triomphe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Archangel Ivory

Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship - Duplessis

We just learned about the Rococo sculpture of Three Derby Figures made by the Royal Crown Derby porcelain shop.

Another Rococo art sculputre is the Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship made by Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis in Paris, in 1757.

Pot pourri is a bunch of nice smelling leaves and plants that are put into a small vase to make a nice smell.
The sculptor Jean-Claude Duplessis worked for the Sèvres porcelain maker in Paris, and he made these pot-pourri holders in the shape of sailing ships for people to buy.
Many rich and famous people collected these pot-pourri holders made here.

In France the Rococo style was a little different, and was known as Rocaille.


(from: wikipedia - jean-claude chambellan duplessis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus

Three Derby Figures - Derby

We just learned about the Pair of Lovers by Franz Anton Bustelli.

Another set of Rococo sculptures is the Three Derby Figures made by the Royal Crown Derby porcelain shop in England, 1758.

The Derby Porcelain company is one of the oldest makers of porcelain in England.
They used to just be called Derby Porcelain, then one day the Queen of England liked their sculptures so much she gave them the name "The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company".


(from: wikipedia - royal crown derby)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

Pair of Lovers - Bustelli

We just learned about the Fuga d'Attila Relief by Alessandro Algardi.

We've seen a lot of different Baroque sculptures!

Another sculpture style is called Rococo.
This style of sculpture was very decorated, with lots of curves, white and pastel colors, and gilding with metals like gold.

One of the most famous sculptors in the Rococo style was Franz Anton Bustelli, and one of his most famous sculptures was the Pair of Lovers, showing two people in love, surrounded by curved shapes, painted with bright colors, and gilded with gold trim.


(from: wikipedia - franz anton bustelli)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Great Cameo of France

Fuga d'Attila Relief - Algardi

We just learned about the Baroque sculpture of Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi.

Another Baroque sculpture is the Fuga d'Attila Relief by Alessandro Algardi in 1653 in Rome.

Algardi was a sculptor at the same time as Bernini, but Bernini was very famous, so he sometimes had a hard time getting noticed for some of the amazing sculptures he was making, even though many people think he is just as good as Bernini.

He was given the job to create a few sculptures of Popes through the years, and one of his most famous is this Relief.
Remember that a relief sculpture is one that is on a wall, with the sculptures sticking out.
This was a sculpture of Pope Leo fighting against Attila the Hun.
Attila came to attack Rome, but the legend tells of Pope Leo asked for God's help to defeat him, and the Huns were not able to take over Rome.



(from: wikipedia - alessandro algardi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gonzaga Cameo

Saint Helena - Bolgi

We just learned about the Baroque sculpture of Saint Andrew by François Duquesnoy.

Another baroque sculpture is Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi in 1639 in Rome.

Bolgi made the sculpture for Saint Peter's Basilica, which is a really big church in Rome.
He was a student of Bernini, and he was invited to help create this statue as one of many others in the big church.


(from: wikipedia - andrea bolgi)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gemma Augustea

Saint Andrew - Duquesnoy

We just learned about the Annunciantion of the Virgin by the Angel by Francesco Mochi.

Another baroque art sculpture is the statue of Saint Andrew by Belgian François Duquesnoy.

This sculpture shows the Apostle Andrew, holding the cross that he would be crucified on.
The story is that when Andrew was going to be crucified for being a Christian, he said he did not deserve to be on the same type of cross as Jesus had been crucified on, the one shaped like a T.
So he asked them to shape it like an X for him, and on flags, an X like that is known as Saint Andrew's Cross.


(from: wikipedia - françois duquesnoy)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Houses at L'Estaque - Braque