Kauffmann Memorial
Kauffmann Memorial is a public artwork by American artist William Ordway Partridge, located at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., United States. Kauffmann Memorial was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1993. The memorial is a tribute and grave for Samuel H. Kauffmann, the former owner of the Washington Star and president of the Corcoran Gallery.[1][2]
| Kauffmann Memorial | |
|---|---|
| English: Seven Ages of Memory | |
 | |
| Artist | William Ordway Partridge |
| Year | 1897 |
| Type | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 180 cm × 410 cm × 370 cm (70 in × 163 in × 144 in) |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Owner | Rock Creek Cemetery |
Description
The memorial features a curved granite wall exedra with seven bronze relief panels on the curve and a curved bench. Upon the bench, a "classically-draped" figure of a woman sits. She leans forward with her head bowed, looking down at a wreath made of asphodel she is in the process of making. She wears a robe tied at the waist, sandals, and her hair is pulled back and curved around her face. This woman represents "Memory," and the bronze panels (15 in. x 26 in.) depicts scenes from Shakespeare's "Seven Ages of Men," from As You Like It. In front of the bench and wall is a large urn that is placed on a low granite block.
The front of the urn has the inscription: KAUFFMANN[1]
Picture from Partridge's 1914 catalogue
Condition
This sculpture was surveyed in 1994 for its condition and it was described that "treatment needed".[1]
Further reading
- William Ordway Partridge's Kauffmann Memorial in Rock Creek Cemetery: Ideal Sculpture in Turn-of-the-century America by Elizabeth Wilson Harter. George Washington University, Washington, DC, 1993.
- Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Douglas Keister. Gibbs Smith, Layton, UT, 2004. ISBN 1-58685-321-X
- Washington, D.C. Off the Beaten Path, 4th Edition by William B. Whitman. GPP Travel, Guilford, CT, 2007. ISBN 0-7627-4217-8
References
- Save Outdoor Sculptures! (1993). "Kauffmann Memorial (sculpture)". SOS!. Smithsonian. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- William Ordway Partridge (1914). The Works in Sculpture of William Ordway Partridge, M.A.: With Biographical Sketch and Illustrations of Principal Works. John Lane Company. p. 10.