Thomas Ball (American, 1819–1911)
Cast by James Tyler Ames (American, 1810–1883)
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Daniel Webster
INV-1094
Thomas Ball (American, 1819–1911)
Cast by James Tyler Ames (American, 1810–1883)
Chicopee, MassachusettsModeled and cast 1853
Daniel Webster
Thomas Ball (American, 1819–1911) Cast by James Tyler Ames (American, 1810–1883) Chicopee, Massachusetts →sculptureamerican arts
Date
Modeled and cast 1853
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
76.2 × 30.4 × 27.9 cm (30 × 12 × 11 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Richard and Mary L. Gray
Thomas Ball modeled Daniel Webster prior to receiving his first formal training in sculpture. A Massachusetts native, Ball admired the great orator and was inspired to create this full-length statuette a year after Webster’s death. Despite the mid-19th-century taste for Neoclassicism, Ball rendered his figure with decided naturalism. Webster stands assuredly with his right hand tucked Napoleon-like into his lapel, yet Ball likewise portrayed the senator’s rumpled clothing and round waistline. A commercial success, Daniel Webster was one of the earliest sculptures in the U.S. to be patented and mass-produced. The artwork later inspired two monumental versions, one of which stands in Central Park in New York.