Atlanta from the Ashes, (sculpture).

Atlanta from the Ashes, (sculpture).

Quirino, Gamba, sculptor.

Vezzoni, Feruccia, fabricator.

Seigler, James, designer.

Atlanta from the Ashes, (sculpture).

Phoenix Rising, (sculpture).

1969. Relocated 1995.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze, gilded; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 18 ft. x 45 in. x 55 1/2 in.; Base: approx. H. 5 ft. 6 in. (4 tons).

(Lower proper left side of sculpture:) F. Vezzoni (Bronze plaque on front of base:) THIS SCULPTURE, SYMBOLIZING/ATLANTA FROM THE ASHES/WAS PRESENTED TO/THE CITY OF ATLANTA/BY/THE RICH FOUNDATION/JANUARY 1969 unsigned Founder's mark appears.

The sculpture depicts a female figure being lifted from flames by a phoenix, in reference to the phoenix of Egyptian mythology that was consumed by fire and rose from the ashes, just as Atlanta rose from the ashes and devastation of the Civil War to become an important international city. The female figure has long hair and is seen nude above the waist, looking upward. In her raised arms she holds the legs of the phoenix. The phoenix is gilded. The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular base.

Allegory -- Place -- Atlanta

Figure female -- Full length

Mythology -- Egyptian -- Phoenix

Disaster -- Fire

History -- United States -- Civil War

History -- United States -- Georgia

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Atlanta

Administered by City of Atlanta, Department of Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Affairs, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30308

Located Woodruff Park, Atlanta, Georgia

Formerly located Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, S.W. & Spring Street, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 1969-1995.

The sculpture, a symbol of Atlanta's rebirth after its burning in 1865 during the Civil War, was a gift of the Rich Foundation in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Rich's Department Store. The sculpture was designed by James Seigler who was employed in the Display Department of Rich's Department Store. The sculpture was cast in Italy from a maquette created by Gamba Quirino in Pietrasanta, Italy. Originally, the sculpture was located on the viaduct adjacent to the first Rich's Department Store, but in 1995 the sculpture was restored and relocated to Woodruff Park, and installed on a new 5 ft. 6 in. granite base. The original base was made of travertine marble. A miniature version of the sculpture was presented to Mayor Ivan Allen in 1967. The phoenix is part of Atlanta's official seal. IAS files contain a newspaper article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Intown Extra sect., n.d.

For further information see: American Institute of Architects. Atlanta Chapter, "The American Institute of Architects Guide to Atlanta," Atlanta: Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, 1975. For unpublished information see the Monuments File at the Atlanta History Center.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia, Atlanta survey, 1993.

Inventory staff, 2000, 2001.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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