The Spirit of Life

Artist Daniel Chester French (American, 1850-1931)

Manufacturer Roman Bronze Works (American)

Datemodeled 1914

MediumBronze

DimensionsOverall: 49 1/2 x 33 1/2 x 27 in. (125.7 x 85.1 x 68.6 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of The Imperial Recreation Club for Men of the Service

Object number26.4.1

Terms

Woman
Water
Fountains
Health
Pine trees
Bronze
New York

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is a bronze statue blending Greek mythology and local geography into a tribute to a man named Spencer Trask. He was a wealthy man who did much to benefit the town of Saratoga Springs in New York. The statue is of the Greek goddess of health, Hygeia. She is standing tall, draped with swirling cloth, fitted with wings and standing on a rock, out of which a spring is flowing (Saratoga Springs). Her arms are raised, the left hand holds the bowl of life-giving water and the right a twig from a pine that grows in Saratoga Springs.

Label TextDaniel Chester French American, 1850–1931 The Spirit of Life, modeled 1914 Bronze cast by Roman Bronze Works, White Plains, New York Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health, holds a pine branch and shallow bowl in honor of the beautiful forests and curative waters of Saratoga Springs, New York. This bronze was designed as the centerpiece for a memorial to philanthropist Stephen Trask, a patron of that community. The final monument features a life-size figure, but sculptor Daniel Chester French also commissioned a limited number of reduced casts, including this work. Thanks to the Norfolk Society of Arts, it was purchased in 1926 and would become a founding gift to this Museum. Gift of the Imperial Recreation Club for Men of the Service 26.4.1