Venezia

Larkin Goldsmith Mead

ca. 1865–66 · Marble · The American Wing

Idealized representations of geographic locales—cities, countries, and continents—were particularly appealing to nineteenth-century Americans. This allegorical bust may be a wedding portrait: Mead not only honors his new wife, whom he met in Venice, but also offers a tribute to the city traditionally known as the Bride of the Sea. The figure wears a tiara of beads and a central scallop shell that features a small gondola. She emerges from a textured sea-foam bodice referencing Venice’s water setting. Mead worked in Florence for more than half a century, relying on Italian materials and labor to create sculptures for the American market.

Artist

Larkin Goldsmith Mead

Date

ca. 1865–66

Medium

Marble

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, Gift of William Nelson and Gift of Misses Alice and Evelyn Blight and Mrs. William Payne Thompson, by exchange, 1999