Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate' image 1

Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate' image 2

Lot 130^TP

Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate'

Important Design

21 November 2018, 13:00 GMT

London, New Bond Street

Sold for £25,000 inc. premium

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Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate'

the idealised maiden with flowing braided hair looking slightly to sinister, on a reeded edged swept integral base signed to the rear H.POWERS sculpt and a waisted moulded rectangular socle base, 56cms high

Footnotes

Provenance:
Acquired by private UK collector, Sotheby's, London, 15 March 1991, 19th Century Sculpture, lot 147.

Literature:
W.H. Gerts, American Neoclassic Sculpture, The Marble Resurrection, 1973, New York, pp.'s 53 and 70-1.

'Eve Disconsolate' also known as "Paradise Lost" and "Eve after the Fall" and depicts Eve in the moment after she succumbs to temptation. Hiram Powers created this figure because he was not completely satisfied with his earlier statue 'Eve Tempted', which he felt did not adequately convey the "expression of bewilderment, distress, and remorse, which must have appeared on the face . . . of Eve.". Powers often created different versions of a statue for different clients, and the bust of Eve Disconsolate was modeled several years before the full-length statue was completed.

Powers more detailed thoughts on creating the subject of Eve were recorded in the Chicago Times in 1876 as follows: "I aimed at nobleness of form and womanly dignity of expression. She is forlorn, but does not quite despair, for she looks up imploringly. She accuses the serpent with one hand and herself most with the other. The serpent retires for Eve repents...she now resists evil."

Additional information

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Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate'

Own a similar item?

Looking for a similar item?

Ask about this lot

Michael Lake

Hirman Powers (American 1805-1873): A carved Carrara marble bust of 'Eve Disconsolate'

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