Bronze Sculpture "Bust of Robert E. Lee" by Moses Ezekiel

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Bronze Sculpture "Bust of Robert E. Lee" by Moses Ezekiel

About the Item

In a pose of fierce resolve, Robert E. Lee is captured looking leftward, his eyes just slightly downcast and looking distant. His features are sharp and flawlessly formed. Three stars flank either side of his throat over a tightly pulled and buttoned overcoat. The back of the bronze is signed "Ezekiel // Roma". It is cast in a single solid piece, attached to the bronze socle joined over the original marble base through the center. Its delicate size, warm patina and fine details juxtapose this very rare and formidable subject. This historically significant subject is, among others, held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a bust that sought to honor his mentor. The same bust on was offered on the open market at Christie's in their Palmetto Hall Sale (Sale no. 14533) as lot 138. It was offered with an estimate of just $ 1,000 - 1,500 and achieved $ 15,000 on January 18th 2017. We handled the same model many years ago and have been looking for it since. Moses Jacob Ezekiel was born on Oct. 28, 1844 of Spanish-Jewish parents in Richmond, VA. He became the first Jewish-American cadet to attend the Virginia Military Institute in 1862, at the time a public school. He was a part of Company C and was called to action in the Battle of New Market (May 1864) where almost a quarter of the cadets were lost during the siege of Richmond. His artistic abilities were evident even as a cadet and during his final year in 1865 he was encouraged by Robert E. Lee, whom he and his wife had befriended after the war while horseback riding and who at the time was the president of nearby Washington College, to pursue his art more seriously. After graduation in 1866 he spent a year studying human anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia while considering a career as a doctor, a course of study that would significantly influence the intense detailed realism of his future work. He moved to Cincinnati to attend J. Insco Williams' Art School and, at the suggestion of some local artists, moved to Europe in 1869 to attend the Royal Art Academy in Berlin. At the age of 29, he won the Michel-Beer Prix de Rome which made it possible for him to move to Rome and set up his studio. He spent the rest of his life in Rome through his death in 1917. His body was returned to the United States after World War I for honorary burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Measurements: 8" high, 4" wide at shoulders; marble is 2 1/4" W x 2 1/4" W.

Dimensions:
Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 4 in (10.16 cm)Depth: 2.25 in (5.72 cm)
Style:
Romantic (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Patina in overall excellent condition with only slight wear, scratches or discoloration. The detailed images below should show this clearly exceptional surface. Numerous chips to marble base.
Seller Location:
Shippensburg, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: 101PLQ28W1stDibs: LU1059022746432