Diana of the Tower
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Object Label
Diana of the Tower is a variation of Augustus Saint-Gaudens's famous weathervane of the Roman goddess of the hunt that stood atop the Madison Square Garden Tower in New York City from 1894 until the Garden was demolished in 1925. Despite the weathervane's placement high above the city, the figure's nudity disturbed some viewers. Reporters fueled debates about the sculpture's propriety. "Occasionally a stray child may still be seen [in the area of Madison Square Park]," one wrote, "but more generally, what children come there are rushed through at breakneak speed in the two of a nurse of some older person. In their place the Square is now thronged with clubmen, armed with filed glasses." Nevertheless, Diana's popularity was great enough to inspire the sculptor to create several editions of reduced versions such as this one, the sales and exhibitions of which established Diana as on of the best-known American sculptures of the period.
Caption
Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, born Ireland, 1848–1907. Diana of the Tower, 1895. Gilded Bronze, 40 7/8 x 20 7/8 x 15 3/4 in. (103.8 x 53 x 40 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 23.255. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 23.255_overall_PS22.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Diana of the Tower
Date
1895
Geography
Place made: United States
Medium
Gilded Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
40 7/8 x 20 7/8 x 15 3/4 in. (103.8 x 53 x 40 cm)
Signatures
Incised on back edge of base: "© AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS 1895 [date in circle]"
Credit Line
Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
23.255
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Is the arrow missing or was this sculpted without one?
The arrow has been lost over time."Diana of the Tower" is a variation of Augustus Saint-Gaudens's famous weathervane of the Roman goddess of the hunt that stood atop the Madison Square Garden Tower in New York City from 1894 until the Garden was demolished in 1925.
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