Modern · Smithsonian American Art Museum · saam_1958.11.19
Baby Robin
Paul Wayland Bartlett, modeled ca. 1890-1895
Smithsonian American Art Museum · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Armistead Peter III · CC0 · Public domain
- Artist
- Paul Wayland Bartlett
- Date
- modeled ca. 1890-1895
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- 3 7/8 x 2 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (9.8 x 6.7 x 9.6 cm)
- Era
- Modern
Why it matters
Paul Wayland Bartlett developed his abilities as an animalier while working under the French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet. They sketched and modeled animals at the Jardin des Plantes, a famous botanical garden in Paris. Frémiet usually depicted the peaceable side of animal life in his sculptures and often modeled his creatures in family groups. Bartlett followed this example in Baby Robin, in which the young bird is expressive without being depicted sentimentally. The inquisitive eyes and alert pose create an endearing image of a fragile creature.