Modern · Cleveland Museum of Art · 1923.724
Turtle Baby
Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons, c. 1910–16
Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Mrs. Henry A. Everett for the Dorothy Burnham Everett Memorial Collection · Public domain
- Artist
- Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons
- Date
- c. 1910–16
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Overall: 104.2 cm (41 in.)
- Era
- Modern
Why it matters
Parsons achieved renown through her garden sculptures of young children accompanied by animals, which one commentator praised for capturing “the happiness of just being alive.” In Turtle Baby , her most famous composition, the figure of the girl was modeled after her daughter. Conceived as a fountain, the sculpture has internal water conduits exiting the mouths of the four turtles circling its base.