America Triumphant

Artist James Henry Haseltine (American, 1833 - 1907)

Date1869; modeled ca. 1867

MediumMarble

DimensionsOverall: 50 1/8 × 17 × 17 inches (127.32 × 43.18 × 43.18 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: The Ever Glades Fund. Selected by the curators in honor of Landon Rowland

Object number2018.30.1

Signed“J.H. Haseltine F. Rome, 1869” inscribed on the side of circular base, below the figure’s proper left side, starting near where one arm of the breastplate that the figure steps on hangs slightly over the edge of the base

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

American Art

Terms

DescriptionThe sculpture, carved from white marble, depicts an armor-and-drapery-clad female figure. She wears a soft cap on her head atop which an eagle with outstretched wings perches. Her cap is trimmed with a laurel wreath crown. A section of her long, wavy hair is braided and drapes across her breast, right shoulder, and down her back. The figure stands barefoot on an armored breastplate that rests on a circle based signed “J. H. Haseltine, F. Rome, 1869.” She poses with one hip cocked to the side. She holds a laurel wreath in one hand, arm extended. With her other hand, she sheaths her sword.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

More research required

Gallery Label

James Henry Haseltine modeled this allegorical figure in Rome, Italy, after serving in the Civil War. The confident warrior wears a Phrygian cap, a classical symbol for revolution. It later came to signify freedom and was adopted by abolitionists. The figure of Winged Victory offering two laurel wreaths on the chest of her armor may suggest hope for national unity and reconciliation following the Civil War. The sculpture also celebrates the triumph of the artist and his assistants. Marble is transformed into skin, drapery, hair, foliage, and feathers.

Provenance

Consigned by a resident of New York City with Capo Auction, Long Island City, NY by September 2012;

Purchased by a New York antiques dealer from Capo Auction, Long Island City, NY (online sale), September 22, 2012, lot 639 (as Athena Promachos);

Purchased from a New York area estate by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers;

Purchased by Conner-Rosenkranz LLC at Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, April 20, 2016, lot 351 (as Figure of Minerva);

Purchased from Conner-Rosenkranz LLC by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2018.

Published References

More research required

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.