Preview
Buy Print
Send
Share
Download
Similars
X-Ray
DiaporamaClasped Hands of Elizabeth and Robert Browning
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer met writers Robert and Elizabeth Browning in Rome in the winter of 1853. Soon after, the artist sought permission to create a cast their hands. The Brownings agreed to her request, provided Hosmer make the cast herself.The resulting sculpture evokes the legendary love and devotion of the Brownings in a simple gesture of unity. The relative sizes of the hands and the cuffs at the wrists allow us to distinguish male from female. Hosmer created several versions of the sculpture in plaster and in bronze.Another member of their circle, author Nathaniel Hawthorne, referenced this work directly in his novel “The Marble Faun”: “Harriet Hosmer’s Clasped Hands of Browning and his wife symbolize the individuality and heroic union of two highly poetic lives.”
harriet goodhue hosmer (1830 – 1908)
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (1830-1908) was a pioneering neoclassical sculptor, America’s first professional female artist. Known for mythological works like 'Sleeping Faun' & technical innovations, she paved the way for women in art. Explore her sculptur
National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C., United States of America)
Discover the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., home to an iconic collection spanning centuries of female creativity, and explore a powerful narrative that reclaims history through art.
About this artwork
- Title: Clasped Hands of Elizabeth and Robert Browning
- Artist: harriet goodhue hosmer
- Format: Landscape
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Where to see it: National Museum of Women in the Arts
- Main color: Espresso
- Color intensity: Monochromatic
QR Code
