Claerchen
Karl Theodore Bitter American, born Austria
Cast by Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company
Bitter no doubt viewed this profile of Clare, his six-year-old niece, as a casual representation, as suggested by the sketchy, tactile handling of form. Striated tool marks add dynamism to Bitter’s characterization of his wide-eyed sitter. Once considered a means to a more polished end, the sketch aesthetic was popularized in the late-nineteenth century through low relief portraits by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and others. “Claerchen” is a diminutive form of the sitter’s name that recalls Bitter’s Austrian heritage.
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