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Turning Turtle

1905; cast 1917
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Laessle’s Turning Turtle was the result of his long interest in the turtle as a sculptural subject, which began while he was an art student in Philadelphia. Later, in Paris, he borrowed a turtle and made careful studies. This resulting statuette depicts a turtle struggling to right itself, balanced by its head, one front leg, and one back leg. When it was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1907, apparently the jurors refused to believe that the turtle was modeled, rather than cast from life, so convincingly lifelike was the sculpture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Turning Turtle
  • Artist: Albert Laessle (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1877–1954 Miami, Florida)
  • Date: 1905; cast 1917
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 7 3/4 in. x 9 5/8 in. x 7 in. 19 (19.7 cm x 24.4 cm x 17.8 cm)
    Base: 1 1/8 x 11 x 9 in. (2.9 x 27.9 x 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.63
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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