Puck
Artist
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer
(American, 1830-1908)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1855-56
MediumMarble
DimensionsOverall: 30 7/8 x 15 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. (78.4 x 39.4 x 50.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase
Object number86.471
Collections
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 211
Label TextHarriet Goodhue Hosmer American, 1830–1908 Puck, modeled ca. 1855–56 Marble Will-o-the-Wisp, modeled ca. 1858 Marble For this pair of mythical imps, Harriet Hosmer carved bouquet-like bases to further engage and charm potential clients. Circle Will-o-the-Wisp and discover the swamp sprite’s lively forest friends. This statue and its pendant, the naughty Puck, would have brightened the corners of a tastefully decorated parlor. Though admired for her playful subjects, Hosmer was an ambitious and shrewd businesswoman. Like other American sculptors, she moved to Rome for easy access to cheap marble, skilled Italian assistants, and celebrity clients, including poets, actresses, and the Prince of Wales. Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase 86.471 and 86.472ProvenanceLouis Joseph, Boston; James H. Ricau, Piermont, N.Y., by 1964; Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum Purchase, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., 1986. Exhibition History"The Ricau Collection," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., February 26 - April 23, 1989. "Rave Reviews: One Hundred Years of Great American Art," National Academy of Design, NYC, Sept. 20 - Dec. 31. 2000; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Jan. 31 - Apr. 1, 2001; Indianapolis Museum, Apr. 21 - June 24, 2001. (Exhib. cat. 210-212). "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. Published ReferencesH. Nichols B. Clark. "Pairs of sculptures collected by James Ricau," _The Magazine Antiques_. November 1997, 700-705. 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: p. 218-220, ill. David B. Dearinger, Ed. _Rave Reviews: American Art and its Critics, 1826-1925_. New York: National Academy of Design. 2000: pp. 210-212. David B. Dearinger, Ed. "When Journalists Became Critics: The Birth of American Art Criticism." _Nineteenth Century_ 22, no. 1 Spring 2002: 9-18, 17 ill. Robert Rosenblum. "Painting and H. W. Janson, sculpture." _19th-Century Art_. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005, 339, fig. 328. ISBN: 0-13-189614-8, 0-13-189562-1
