Young Mother
Artist
Bela L. Pratt
(American, 1867–1917)
Dateabout 1911
Mediumwhite marble
Dimensions39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1911.24
Label TextComplex, yet graceful curves and counter-curves mark this tender figural group of a young mother cradling her infant child. The intimate relationship between the pair is highlighted by the mother’s sheltering posture and the dramatic lines of her hair, which weaves around the child to provide swaddling and protection.
Born in Norwich, Connecticut, Bela Pratt trained at the Yale School of Fine Arts and in the studio of the famed American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. As a mature artist, he taught around Boston and obtained particular acclaim for his sculptures that accompanied architecture, such as his statues of Art and Science flanking the main building of the Boston Public Library.ProvenanceBela L. Pratt, Boston MAOn View
Not on view
Hiram Powers
designed 1846; sculpted 1846–1847
