Augustus Saint-Gaudens Art

Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1848-1907 American Young Emperor Augustus Marble This extraordinary marble bust by revered American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is crafted in the classical style of the Greco-Roman world, with the perfect proportions that make it engaging from every angle. The style lends itself well to the subject — Caesar Augustus, one of the most revered emperors of ancient Rome. Here, he is brilliantly captured as a young man with his distinctive brown and calm countenance in a celebration of male beauty, wisdom and bravery. Celebrated as the founder of the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus left a formidable legacy as a politician, a peacemaker and a conquerer. Rising to power following the infamous assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, Augustus reigned for over a decade. Designed after the head of an ancient statue known as Augustus of Primaporta in the Vatican Museum, Saint-Gaudens’ bust offers a compelling portrait of this historic great, capturing the young man who would later be recognized as among the world's great thinkers and leaders. Born in Dublin to an Irish mother and French father, Augustus Saint-Gaudens moved to New York City with his family as an infant. He trained under Louis Avet, a cameo-cutter, before enrolling in the École des Beaux-Arts at the young age of 19. Saint-Gaudens’ artistic talents flourished when he moved to Rome in 1870 to study art and architecture, and his neoclassical works inspired by the masterpieces of Greco-Roman antiquity are among his most beloved sculptures. He achieved great critical success in his lifetime, and his artworks reside in prestigious collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery in London, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and Tate in London. Young Emperor Augustus is pictured on page 63 of John H. Dryfhout’s catalogue raisonne entitled The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1982). The bust was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nearly four decades. Circa 1872-1873 22“ high x 11“ wide x 8 1/2“ deep Literature: John H. Dryfhout, The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, no. 33, p. 63, illustrated Exhibitions: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1985-86 New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986-2023 (on loan) Provenance: Private Collection, Windsor, Vermont Tatischeff Gallery, New York Sale, Tatischeff Gallery, New York, 5 June 1986 Private Collection of the Wolf Family...