Sir Francis Chantrey's Monument to George Washington: Sculpture and Patronage in Post-Revolutionary America

Abstract

In the early years of the new republic, the citizenry of Massachusetts rallied to collect funds for a monument to George Washington. The lack of a strong, indigenous sculptural tradition forced the group supervising the project, the Washington Monument Association, to seek foreign talent to create a suitable image. After much consideration, the Association awarded the commission to Sir Francis Chantrey, one of England's greatest nineteenth-century sculptors. Prolonged delays on both sides of the Atlantic plagued the commission from start to finish, but when Chantrey's Monument to George Washington was finally unveiled in 1827, it provided the citizens of New England with their first monumental marble sculpture. This article examines the Monument, its commission, and place in the sculptor's own burgeoning career, shedding light on American art patronage at the time.

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