Who is this?
That sculpture you sent is titled "The Lost Pleiad" and is an example of the prevalence of Greek mythology in 19th century American sculpture. "The Lost Pleiad" is a personification of one of the stars in the constellation called the Pleiades. She is searching the heavens because when she married a mortal, she forfeited her position among her six sister stars.
What do these two statues represent?
"Nydia" and "The Lost Pleiad" were both sculpted by the American artist Randolph Rogers. Rogers was very interested in history and mythology! The one at the left shows Nydia, a fictional character from the 1834 novel "The Last Days of Pompeii" by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
She is running to try to escape the volcano that was erupting over Pompeii and destroying the city. She was blind, as you might be able to guess by her closed eyes and her walking stick.
The one to the right is also by Rogers. It shows a "pleiad." In ancient Greek myth the Pleiades were sisters who were turned into stars in the sky.
This one fell in love with a mortal man and got separated from her sisters. You can see her looking for them, with her hand to her eyes.
Is Randolph Rogers the same sculptor of the popular plaster "Rogers Groups"?
Great question, but no: the Rogers plasters were by John Rogers. But they were definitely working around the same time period! We actually have a John Rogers on display in our Luce Visible Storage Center.
Thank you, I'll check it out.
Can you tell me about these two sculptures? One looks like she's trying to hear and another looks like she's trying to see.
Yes! The one who is listening represents a blind character, "Nydia;" the sculpture is by Randolph Rogers. Nydia comes from the book "The Last Days of Pompeii" by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton. She is attempting to flee the city of Pompeii as it is being destroyed by a volcano, but is blind so she is trying to listen instead of see.
The woman trying to look at her surroundings is "The Lost Pleiad." This sculpture is by the same artist, Randolph Rogers.
She is looking for her sisters, stars in the sky who she was separated from when she fell in love with a mortal man.
I've never thought of them as representing two senses before, that's a great connection!
Amazing! Such a nice storyline behind them, thank you!
What material is this made of?
This sculpture is made of marble.
The other sculptures nearby are as well. These works were created in the Neoclassical style, inspired by ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. However, Greek and Roman sculpture would have been painted. Despite this, Neoclassical sculpture keeps the marble tone, evoking the ancient sculptures that have already had their paint worn away
