Perseus (from Sketchbook)

John Quincy Adams Ward

ca. 1860 · Graphite on paper · The American Wing

Ward became known as the "Dean of American Sculpture" for his role in promoting the medium as a teacher and through professional organizations. He was an advocate for studying the great art of the past and once told an interviewer, "I want to see every statue that has ever been made." He collected copies of sculpture masterpieces and played an important role in developing collections of these plaster casts for students at The Met, where he was a founding Trustee, and at the National Academy of Design in New York. Ward made this study after a copy of Cellini’s Perseus when he was a young apprentice.

Artist

John Quincy Adams Ward

Date

ca. 1860

Medium

Graphite on paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Edward R. Grove, 1985