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Head of a Spanish Peasant

Founder Cast by C. Valsuani
1911
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 772
In addition to collecting works by twentieth-century American realist artists and founding what is now the Whitney Museum of American Art, Whitney also had a significant career as a sculptor. This realistic portrait depicts Adolphe Ramon, her studio assistant in Paris. The strong chin and downcast eyes suggest Whitney’s skill in projecting the character of her subject. The contrasting surface textures—from the smooth cheeks to the patterned scarf around Ramon’s head—create dramatic effects of light and shadow, giving the work an enhanced tactile quality.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of a Spanish Peasant
  • Artist: Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (American, New York 1875–1942 New York)
  • Founder: Cast by C. Valsuani
  • Date: 1911
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 16 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 11 1/4 in. (41.3 x 31.8 x 28.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1916
  • Object Number: 16.84
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Flanagan American, Bronze, American
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
John Flanagan
Kunst Foundry
1905–24, cast 1924
Study for the Head of The Melvin Memorial, Daniel Chester French American, Bronze, American
Study for the Head of The Melvin Memorial
Daniel Chester French
John Williams
1907; cast before 1914
John La Farge, Edith Woodman Burroughs American, Bronze, American
John La Farge
Edith Woodman Burroughs
C. Valsuani
1908
Elihu Vedder, Charles Keck American, Bronze, American
Elihu Vedder
Charles Keck
ca. 1904

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