Bust of Christopher Columbus


American sculptors in the nineteenth century looked to Rome for instruction, inspiration, and raw material, primarily the finest marble in the world. In Rome, surrounded by countless classical figures from Antiquity and the Renaissance, young Americans diligently studied proportions and learned how to apply the chisel to stone. Two of the most talented Americans in this company were Horatio Greenough and his younger brother, Richard. Horatio’s arrival abroad preceded his brother’s by over a decade and he had the good fortune to have befriended Bertel Thorvaldsen, Antonio Canova’s most talented student. Canova was the unrivaled dean of Neoclassic sculpture but, as he aged, he looked to Thorvaldsen to carry his mantle.

Thorvaldsen and Greenough looked beyond neoclassicism, though, to a more naturalistic approach to their subjects. Rather than putting their sitter’s countenance on an idealized Greek body, they portrayed their sitter realistically, as the individual was in nature. This new approach found tremendous popular support and secured their reputations quickly. When young Richard arrived in Rome in 1837, he found himself warmly welcomed as an artist who would soon be as famous as his older brother. Richard’s training progressed very well and, after two years in Italy, he returned to Boston to open a studio and begin his career. He secured numerous small commissions, but it was his formidable bust of historian William H. Prescott that established him as an important sculptor. Immediately following its completion, Richard’s studio was steadily busy with commissioned work.

Today, Richard Greenough’s sculptures grace the galleries of numerous museums, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and our Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Our bust of Christopher Columbus by Greenough is one of his most inspiring and accomplished works. From the intricate folds of the collar to the optimistic cast of the young explorer’s gaze, the carving is masterful. We are fortunate to have acquired such a fine example by one of America’s most talented 19th century sculptors and I urge you to visit soon to see this masterwork. We are ever grateful to the Newman Foundation for their support of this major acquisition.