Images(2)

Puck

Maker Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (American, 1830 - 1908)

Collections

American Sculpture

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Datecarved after 1854

Mediummarble

Dimensionsheight: 31 in. (78.7 cm.)

DescriptionHarriet Hosmer's Puck, a cherubic depiction of the character from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, was one of her most popular sculptures. Some fifty versions of the piece were carved, including one for the Prince of Wales' rooms at Oxford. Hosmer, the most prominent member of a group of American women sculptors working in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century, may be best known for her adorable Puck, but many of her other works are monumental in scale and portray heroines from literature, classical mythology, and history. Hosmer was something of a trailblazer, combating a slew of obstacles placed before women wishing to become sculptors at the time. She overcame the difficulty of gaining admittance to anatomy classes and successfully defended her reputation from the sullying commentary of jealous colleagues. Indeed, Hosmer achieved financial success from her work early in her career, and her studio was a popular stop for many nineteenth-century notables, including, among others, Thomas Carlyle, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Alfred Tennyson, J. P. Morgan, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and various European aristocrats.

SignedSigned on verso: H. Hosmer / Rome

InscribedSigned on verso: H. Hosmer / Rome

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation

Label TextOne of the nineteenth century's most accomplished female artists, Harriet Hosmer gained a reputation not only as a talented sculptor but also as a pioneering advocate of women's rights. Her Puck, a cherubic depiction of the mischievous character from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, was one of her most popular sculptures and exists in many versions. It contrasts with her monumental sculptures of heroines from literature, classical mythology, and history, such as Zenobia in Chains. Both Puck and Zenobia in Chains, however, demonstrate Hosmer's command of the marble medium and love of detail, such as the mushrooms supporting Puck and the delicate structure of his wings.

Status

On view

Object number91.255