Buffalo

Alexander Phimister Proctor

1912; cast 1913 · Bronze · The American Wing

In 1911, Proctor was commissioned by the city of Washington, D.C., to produce four monumental bronze buffalo to surmount the stone pylons of Dumbarton (Q Street) Bridge. To prepare for the work, he visited a game preserve in Alberta, Canada, to watch and sketch a herd of North American bison. In this reduction of one of the final sculptures, Proctor recorded the stately bearing of the massive beast, rendering its weighty coat with gestural strokes and capturing the swish of its raised tail in arrested motion.

Artist

Alexander Phimister Proctor

Date

1912; cast 1913

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939