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George Washington

Hiram Powers American
1838–44, carved after 1844
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760
Powers based this bust of George Washington (1732–1799) on the authoritative portrait the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon had modeled from life during his visit to America in 1785. The dignified image of the first president became the most successful of Powers’s portraits, with at least thirty-six life-size replicas carved. In some of them, the shoulders are covered in contemporary attire, while in others, such as this example, they are enveloped in a toga-like garment, a standard Neoclassical device. In the drape and the unincised eyeballs, Powers sought to link the bust with antique portraiture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: George Washington
  • Artist: Hiram Powers (American, Woodstock, Vermont 1805–1873 Florence)
  • Date: 1838–44, carved after 1844
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: 31 x 23 x 14 in. (78.7 x 58.4 x 35.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Erving and Joyce Wolf, in memory of Diane R. Wolf, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.443.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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