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Blind Homer Led by the Genius of Poetry

1851
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 733
One of many American neoclassical sculptors who worked in Italy during the mid-nineteenth century, Bartholomew had a brief but successful career. "Blind Homer Led by the Genius of Poetry" attests to his command of the illusionistic and technical challenges of relief sculpture. The figures project convincingly as Poetry leads Homer across a plinth. They are dressed in classical garb that clings to their bodies yet falls in stylizing folds, suggesting the pull between realism and idealism often evident in mid-nineteenth-century American sculpture. This relief—and indeed many by Bartholomew and other Americans—reflects the profound influence of Italian sculptor Antonio Canova, especially in the crisp linearity of form and refined carving. The marble is surrounded by its original gilt frame.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Blind Homer Led by the Genius of Poetry
  • Artist: Edward Sheffield Bartholomew (1822–1858)
  • Date: 1851
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: 29 3/4 x 20 3/8 in. (75.6 x 51.8 cm)
    Framed: 36 1/2 x 27 1/8 x 3 3/4 in. (92.7 x 68.9 x 9.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Morris K. Jesup Fund, and Gift of William Nelson, by exchange, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.74
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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