William Tecumseh Sherman (Saint-Gaudens)

Last updated
William Tecumseh Sherman
Victory
William Tecumseh Sherman Monument New York January 2016 002.jpg
The sculptures in 2016
William Tecumseh Sherman (Saint-Gaudens)
Artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Year1902 (1902)
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze
Subject William Tecumseh Sherman
LocationNew York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates 40°45′52″N73°58′24″W / 40.7645°N 73.9732°W / 40.7645; -73.9732

William Tecumseh Sherman, also known as the Sherman Memorial or Sherman Monument, [1] [2] is a sculpture group honoring William Tecumseh Sherman, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, New York. Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue of Sherman and an accompanying statue, Victory, an allegorical female figure of the Greek goddess Nike. [3] The statues are set on a Stony Creek granite pedestal designed by the architect Charles Follen McKim. [4]

Contents

History

1913 plaza design and statue relocation

The newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911 having bequeathed $50,000 for the creation of a memorial fountain to be "like those in the Place de la Concorde, Paris France". [5] In December 1912, the executors of Pulitzer's estate announced that New York City had approved the fountain's proposed location, in the plaza between 58th Street and 60th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, the same plaza where the equestrian Sherman Monument stood since 1903. The executors invited five architecture firms to participate in a competition to determine the fountain's design, and to provide designs for a "good architectural treatment of the whole plaza". [6] In January 1913, the five schemes were exhibited at the New York Public Library, including the winning scheme, designed by Carrère and Hastings. Architect Thomas Hasting's design placed the fountain in the southern half of the plaza, whereas the Sherman Monument remained in the northern half (but moved 15 feet (4.6 m) west to be symmetrically opposite the fountain). Construction of the new plaza began in 1915, and by November one newspaper reported: "The Pulitzer Fountain...is now finished and bubbling with the purest Croton water," noting that work on the northern portion of the plaza was delayed by subway construction. [7]

1974 landmarks designation

On May 30, 1974, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing to consider designation of the Grand Army Plaza, including the Sherman Monument, as a Scenic Landmark. The measure was approved on July 23, 1974. [8]

Restoration

On March 26, 1985, the Central Park Conservancy and the architecture firm of Buttrick White & Burtis presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a full restoration of the plaza, including the Sherman Monument. [9] The work was completed in June 1990, including a re-gilding of the statue, and the replacement of a palm frond and a sword that had been removed previously. [10]

Gilded statue in 2021 after restoration Grand Army Plaza William Tecumseh Sherman Statue 2021-05-13 18-52 G90T7348.jpg
Gilded statue in 2021 after restoration

The Grand Army Plaza was renewed again in 2013, including a re-gilding of the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman. [11]

Critiques

According to the report prepared by the Landmarks Commission for its 1974 designation, many consider the Sherman Monument to be Saint-Gaudens’ finest work. Not everyone agreed; according to Frank Weitenkampf, [12] sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was less than enthusiastic about the equestrian composition: "Saint-Gaudens was a timid rider and it showed in this work.... if the horse should stumble the general would inevitably be thrown over his head."

Use on coinage

NNC-US-1907-G$20-Saint Gaudens (Roman, ultra high relief, wire edge).jpg
The 1907 Saint-Gaudens double eagle portraying Liberty is based on his statue of Victory.

The obverse of Saint-Gaudens' 1907 United States Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin, portraying Liberty, [13] is based on his sculpture of Victory.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustus Saint-Gaudens</span> American sculptor and engraver (1848–1907)

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From an Irish-French family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City. He traveled to Europe for further training and artistic study. After he returned to New York, he achieved major critical success for his monuments commemorating heroes of the American Civil War, many of which still stand. Saint-Gaudens created works such as the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common, Abraham Lincoln: The Man, and grand equestrian monuments to Civil War generals: General John Logan Memorial in Chicago's Grant Park and William Tecumseh Sherman at the corner of New York's Central Park. In addition, he created the popular historicist representation of The Puritan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Phimister Proctor</span> American sculptor

Alexander Phimister Proctor was an American sculptor with the contemporary reputation as one of the nation's foremost animaliers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Lawrence (sculptor)</span> American sculptor

Mary Lawrence (Tonetti) (1868–1945) was an American sculptor. She designed the Christopher Columbus sculpture at the World's Columbian Exposition.

<i>Abraham Lincoln: The Man</i> Statue of Abraham Lincoln standing by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Abraham Lincoln: The Man is a larger-than-life size 12-foot (3.7 m) bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. The original statue is in Lincoln Park in Chicago, and later re-castings of the statue have been given as diplomatic gifts from the United States to the United Kingdom, and to Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Shea</span> American sculptor and artist (born 1948)

Judith Shea is an American sculptor and artist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1948. She received a degree in fashion design at Parsons School of Design in 1969 and a BFA in 1975. This dual education formed the basis for her figure based works. Her career has three distinct phases: The use of cloth and clothing forms from 1974 to 1981; Hollow cast metal clothing-figure forms from 1982 until 1991; and carved full-figure statues made of wood, cloth, clay, foam and hair beginning in 1990 to present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Army Plaza (Manhattan)</span> Plaza in Manhattan, New York

Grand Army Plaza is a square at the southeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, covering two blocks on the west side of Fifth Avenue between 58th and 60th Streets. It contains an equestrian statue of William Tecumseh Sherman on its northern half and the Pulitzer Fountain on its southern half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George B. McClellan</span> Equestrian statue in Washington, D.C.

Major General George B. McClellan is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. that honors politician and Civil War general George B. McClellan. The monument is sited on a prominent location in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood due to efforts made by area residents. The statue was sculpted by American artist Frederick William MacMonnies, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts whose best known work is a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City. MacMonnies was chosen to design the statue following a lengthy competition organized by a statue commission, led by then Secretary of War William Howard Taft. The monument was dedicated in 1907, with prominent attendees at the ceremony including President Theodore Roosevelt, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr., politicians, generals and thousands of military personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of the Marquis de Lafayette (Washington, D.C.)</span> Statue by Alexandre Falguière in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Major General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette is a statue in the southeast corner of Lafayette Square, in Washington, D.C., near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Place, across the street from the White House. The statue was erected in 1891 to honor Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, and his contributions in the American Revolutionary War. The square, originally part of the President's Park, was named in honor of the Marquis in 1824 during a visit he made to the U.S. The statuary was made by Alexandre Falguière and Antonin Mercié, and the architect who designed the marble pedestal was Paul Pujol. The monument comprises a bronze statue of the Marquis de Lafayette about 11 ft (3.4 m) high, standing on a French marble pedestal with four faces decorated with classical mouldings, accompanied by seven additional bronze statues, all larger than life size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George Henry Thomas</span> Sculpture in Washington, D.C.

Major General George Henry Thomas, also known as the Thomas Circle Monument, is an equestrian sculpture in Washington, D.C. that honors Civil War general George Henry Thomas. The monument is located in the center of Thomas Circle, on the border of the downtown and Logan Circle neighborhoods. It was sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, best known for his work on the statue of George Washington in Wall Street, Manhattan. Attendees at the dedication in 1879 included President Rutherford B. Hayes, Generals Irvin McDowell, Philip Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman, senators and thousands of soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument</span>

The General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument is an equestrian statue of American Civil War Major General William Tecumseh Sherman located in Sherman Plaza, which is part of President's Park in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The selection of an artist in 1896 to design the monument was highly controversial. During the monument's design phase, artist Carl Rohl-Smith died, and his memorial was finished by a number of other sculptors. The Sherman statue was unveiled in 1903. It is a contributing property to the Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. and to the President's Park South, both of which are historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Rohl-Smith</span> Danish-American sculptor

Carl Wilhelm Daniel Rohl-Smith was a Danish American sculptor who was active in Europe and the United States from 1870 to 1900. He sculpted a number of life-size and small bronzes based on Greco-Roman mythological themes in Europe as well as a wide number of bas-reliefs, busts, funerary monuments, and statues throughout Denmark, the German Confederation, and Italy. Emigrating to the United States in 1886, he once more produced a number of sculptures for private citizens. His most noted American works were a statue of a soldier for a Battle of the Alamo memorial in Texas, a statue of Benjamin Franklin for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, a statue group in Chicago commemorating the Fort Dearborn Massacre, and the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch</span> Triumphal arch in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch is a triumphal arch at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City, just north of Prospect Park. Built from 1889 to 1892, the arch is dedicated "To the Defenders of the Union, 1861–1865".

Sherman Monument may refer to:

<i>Pulitzer Fountain</i> Fountain and sculpture in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

Pulitzer Fountain is an outdoor fountain located in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza in New York. The fountain is named after newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer who died in 1911 having bequeathed $50,000 for the creation of the fountain. Pulitzer intended his fountain to be "like those in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France." The fountain was designed by the architect Thomas Hastings, and crowned by a statue conceived by the sculptor Karl Bitter. The fountain was dedicated in May 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of David Farragut (New York City)</span> Sculpture in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, also known as the Admiral Farragut Monument, is an outdoor bronze statue of David Farragut by Augustus Saint-Gaudens on a stone sculptural exedra designed by the architect Stanford White, installed in Manhattan's Madison Square, in the U.S. state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Henry Warner Slocum</span> Equestrian statue in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

The equestrian statue of Henry Warner Slocum is a monumental statue in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, in New York City. The equestrian statue, designed by sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies, was dedicated in 1905 in honor of Henry Warner Slocum, who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later as a U.S. Representative from the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Ambrose Burnside</span> Equestrian statue in Providence, US

Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, also known as the Ambrose Burnside Monument, is a monumental equestrian statue in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The statue, located in the city's Burnside Park, was designed by sculptor Launt Thompson and depicts Ambrose Burnside, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War who later served as the governor of Rhode Island. Ambrose had died in 1881 and the project to erect a statue in his honor began shortly afterwards. It was dedicated on July 4, 1887 in a large ceremony that included several notable guests of honor, such as General William Tecumseh Sherman, Colonel Robert Hale Ives Goddard, and the governors of both Connecticut and Rhode Island. The monument was originally located in Exchange Place, but it was moved to its current location in the early 1900s. As part of the move, the pedestal was replaced with one designed by William R. Walker.

References

  1. "Sherman Memorial (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System . Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. "William Tecumseh Sherman". Central Park Conservancy . Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. Warner, Marina, Monuments and Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form, University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 1985 pp. 16–17.
  4. "Grand Army Plaza: William Tecumseh Sherman". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  5. Landmark Preservation Commission (23 July 1974). "LP-0860" (PDF). NYC Landmark Designation Reports. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  6. "Pulitzer Fountain On Plaza". The New York Times. December 22, 1912. p. 4.
  7. "Comment by Mme. X". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 7, 1915.
  8. Landmark Preservation Commission (23 July 1974). "LP-0860" (PDF). NYC Landmark Designation Reports. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  9. Purnick, Joyce (March 27, 1985). "For a Historic Plaza, Pears or Limes?". The New York Times. p. B1.
  10. Goldberger, Paul (June 28, 1990). "A Restored Grand Army Plaza, With a New Coat for the General: Bright gold is thought to be the Sherman statue's original finish". The New York Times. p. C13.
  11. Dunlap, David (18 June 2013). "It's General Sherman's Time to Shine, but Not Too Much". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  12. Manhattan Kaleidoscope, Frank Weitenkampf, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947, page 128.
  13. Taxay, Don (1983). The U.S. Mint and Coinage (reprint of 1966 ed.). New York, N.Y.: Sanford J. Durst Numismatic Publications. pp. 308–309. ISBN   978-0-915262-68-7.