Liberty

1875

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 556

A gift of friendship from the French people to the United States, Bartholdi’s colossal Statue of Liberty famously celebrates freedom. Inspired by the American abolition of slavery, the idea for the monument originated in 1865 but was pursued only after the Third French Republic was established in 1870. This "committee model" is part of an edition of replicas that were sold to help finance the project. Like the final monument, it shows an austere Lady Liberty raising the torch of Enlightenment with the broken chains of tyranny at her feet.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Liberty
Artist: Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (French, Colmar 1834–1904 Paris)
Date: 1875
Culture: French
Medium: Bronzed terracotta
Dimensions: wt. confirmed: 47 3/4 in., 56.4 lb. (121.3 cm, 25.6 kg)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Julia Neville Adams Aubry (Mrs. Charles Georges Aubry), in memory of Jules Weber and his grandson, Charles George Aubry, 1999
Object Number: 1999.49
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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