HIRAM POWERS (AMERICAN, 1805-1873)

Hiram Powers was one of the most celebrated American neoclassical sculptors of the 19th century, and presided over a significant sculptural practice in Florence. Powers created some of the most renowned sculptures of the era including the Greek Slave (1841-1845), a celebrated female nude figure depicted with remarkable detail and finesse, and a series of `ideal’ works including the present bust of Psyche. First commissioned in 1848, some ten marble editions of Psyche are known (see R. Wunder, Hiram Powers Vermont Sculptor, 1805-1873, Newark, 1991, vol. II, no. 228, p. 204-205).