Leander
Artist
William Henry Rinehart
(American, 1825-1874)
CultureAmerican
Datemodeled ca. 1859, carved ca. 1870
MediumMarble
DimensionsOverall: 42 3/4 x 16 5/8 x 15 1/4 in. (108.6 x 42.2 x 38.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase
Object number86.513
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a white marble sculpture of a standing nude male figure holding drapery. The carved figure of Leander stands in contrappasto, with his weight on his right leg, his left bent forward slightly. His arms are at his side; in his forearm the drape lies casually. His head is turned slightly toward his right shoulder.Label TextWilliam Henry Rinehart American, 1825–1874 Leander, modeled ca. 1859, carved ca. 1870 Marble With flawless features, balanced posture, and perfect proportions, this figure by William Henry Rinehart is one of the finest male nudes in American marble sculpture. Mythological stories like that of Leander and his lover Hero (to the left) demanded that artists become masters of human anatomy and classical ideals of beauty. Many American painters and sculptors found this training in the galleries and academies of Italy, where they could admire ancient statues and the work of Renaissance masters. The similarities between Rinehart’s Leander and Michelangelo’s David are no coincidence. Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase 86.513ProvenanceLawrason Riggs, Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Thomas H. Ballière, Baltimore, Md.; James H. Ricau, Piermont, N.Y., by 1962; Gift of James H. Ricau and Chrysler Museum Purchase, 1986. Exhibition History"The Ricau Collection," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., February 26 - April 23, 1989. "Reopening of the Joan P. Brock Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Opening in March of 2008. Published References"Sculptors and Sculpture," _Cosmopolitan Art Journal_ 4 (December 1860): 181. Henry T. Tuckerman, _Book of the Artists_ (New York: J. F. Carr, 1867), 593. S., "In Memoriam," _Boston Daily Evening Transcript_ (November 3, 1874): 6. Marvin Chauncey Ross and Anna Wells Rutledge, _A Catalogue of the Work of William Henry Rinehart, Maryland Sculptor, 1825-1874_, exh. cat., Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, Md., 1948, 28, no. 26. "Recent Acquisitions," _Museum_ [The Newark Museum] 14 (September 1962), 11. William H. Gerdts, "American Sculpture: The Collection of James H. Ricau," _Antiques_ 86 (September 1964): 297-298. William H. Gerdts, "Marble and Nudity," _Art in America_ 54 (May 1971): 66-67. William H. Gerdts, _American Neo-Classic Sculpture: The Marble Resurrection_ (New York: Viking Press, 1973), 56-57. ISBN: 0670120022 John S. Crawford, "The Classical Tradition in American Sculpture: Structure and Surface," _American Art Journal_ 11 (July 1979): 38-52. Wayne Craven, _Sculpture in America_, rev. ed. (New York: Cornwall Books, 1984), 290-291. ISBN: 0874132258 Joyce Szabo, "Famed Neoclassical Sculpture Collection, Acquired by the Chrysler Museum," _The Chrysler Museum Bulletin_ 17, no. 2 (March 1987): 4-5. Eleanor H. Gustafson, "Museum Accessions," _The Magazine Antiques_ 132 (October 1987): 688. Janet A. Headley, "English Literary and Aesthetic Influences on American Sculptors in Italy, 1825-1875," Ph.D. dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park, 1988, 278-286, 437, ill. William L. Vance, _America's Rome_ 2 vols. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), vol. 1, 218, 328-331. ISBN: 0300036701, 0300044534 Teresa Annas, "Ricau Sculptures Cut Quite a Figure at Chrysler," _The Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star_ (February 25, 1989): G5. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_ (Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991), 114-115, no. 90. ISBN: 0-940744-59-7, 0-940744-62-7 H. Nichols B. Clark, _A Marble Quarry: The James H. Ricau Collection of Sculpture at The Chrysler Museum of Art_ (New York: Hudson Hills Press, Inc., 1997), 194-196, no. 48. ISBN: 1555951317 H. Nichols B. Clark, "Pairs of Sculptures Collected by James Ricau," _The Magazine Antiques_ (November 1997): 700-705. Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 70-71, no. 38. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6
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