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William Henry II and Cornelius Vanderbilt III

1882
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
The eldest of Alice and Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s four sons, William Henry (1870–1892) and Cornelius (1873–1942), are the subjects of one of three low-relief portraits of Vanderbilt family members modeled by Saint-Gaudens for the couple’s palatial New York residence. At ages eleven and eight, the boys appear poised to assume the dynastic mantle, as implied by the end panels depicting oak leaves and acorns from the family’s coat of arms. Saint-Gaudens also completed a monumental mantelpiece for the house’s entry hall (on view in the Charles Engelhard Court of the American Wing; 25.234) and fourteen carved wood panels for the dining-room ceiling.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: William Henry II and Cornelius Vanderbilt III
  • Artist: Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire)
  • Date: 1882
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 16 1/4 x 26 1/8 in. (41.3 x 66.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of the American Wing Fund, Dorothy Schwartz Gift, and Morris K. Jesup Fund, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.425
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
ca. 1881–83
Cornelius Vanderbilt I, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Bronze, American
Cornelius Vanderbilt I
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1882
Homer Schiff Saint-Gaudens, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Marble, American
Homer Schiff Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Piccirilli Brothers Marble Carving Studio
1882; carved 1906–7
The Children of Prescott Hall Butler, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Marble, American
The Children of Prescott Hall Butler
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Piccirilli Brothers Marble Carving Studio
1880–81; carved 1906–7
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece date panel, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Mahogany, ivory, mother-of-pearl, and coral, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece date panel
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1881–83

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