Study for the Violet Sargent Bronze Plaque in the Art Institute of Chicago
Classification
sculpture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Homer Saint-Gaudens
Accession Number
1937-70-3
About this artwork
Young woman, three-quarter-length, seated with head in profile, directed to right; hands in lap. Enclosed in rectangle with filling of curved lines in upper right corner. Below in small square, a bust with head in three-quarter view to right.
Art Historical Context
Augustus Saint-Gaudens one of America's foremost sculptors of the late 19th century, created this *Study for the Violet Sargent Plaque* in 1890. Trained in Paris and deeply influenced by Beaux-Arts principles, Saint-Gaudens renowned for his elegant portrait reliefs and monumental public works, such as the Shaw Memorial in Boston. This preparatory drawing or model captures the likeness of Violet Sargent—likely a family member of the celebrated painter John Singer Sargent—in a poised, three-quarter-length seated pose, her head turned in profile to the right, hands resting calmly in her lap. Fram...