Andrew Jackson Downing, (sculpture).

Andrew Jackson Downing, (sculpture).

Launitz, Robert E., 1806-1870, sculptor.

Vaux, Calvert, 1824-1892/95, designer.

Andrew Jackson Downing, (sculpture).

Andrew Jackson Downing Urn, (sculpture).

1856. Dedicated Sept. 1856. Relocated Aug. 11, 1966. Rededicated April 25, 1972.

Digital Reference:

Urn: Carrara marble; Base: American marble.

Urn: approx. H. 4 ft. Diam 2 ft.; Base: approx. H. 4 ft. 9 in. W. 3 ft.

(South face of base:) THIS VASE/WAS ERECTED BY HIS FRIENDS/IN MEMORY OF/ANDREW JACKSON DOWNING/WHO DIED JULY 28, 1852, AGED 37 YEARS/HE WAS BORN AND LIVED/AND DIED UPON THE HUDSON RIVER/HIS LIFE WAS DEVOTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE NATIONAL/TASTE IN RURAL ART/AN OFFICE FOR WHICH HIS GENIUS AND THE NATURAL BEAUTY ALMOST/WHICH HE LIVED HAD FULLY ENDOWED HIM/HIS SUCCESS WAS AS GREAT AS HIS GENIUS AND FOR THE DEATH/OF FEW PUBLIC MEN/WAS PUBLIC GRIEF EVER MORE SINCERE/WHEN THESE GROUNDS WERE PROPOSED, HE WAS AT ONCE/CALLED TO DESIGN THEM/BUT BEFORE THEY WERE COMPLETED HE PERISHED IN THE WRECK/OF THE STEAMER HENRY CLAY/HIS MIND WAS SINGULARLY JUST, PENETRATING AND ORIGINAL/HIS MANNERS WERE CALM, RESERVED, AND COURTEOUS/HIS PERSONAL MEMORY/BELONGS TO THE FRIENDS WHO LOVE HIM;/HIS FAME TO THE COUNTRY WHICH HONORS AND LAMENTS HIM

A large greek-style urn installed on a pedestal base.

Homage -- Downing, Andrew Jackson

Object -- Other -- Vase

Decorative arts

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Smithsonian Institution, Enid A. Haupt Garden, Washington, District of Columbia 20560

Andrew Jackson Downing (1815-1852), a noted landscape architect, was commissioned by Congress to landscape the Mall in 1850. Although in 1930 his design was replaced by the L'Enfant's original 1791 design, some of Downing's ideas are still present in the paths at Lafayette Park and in the Ellipse behind the White House. The Andrew Jackson Downing Urn was originally installed on the Mall in 1856, near what is now the National Museum of American History. It remained there until 1965 when it was moved to the east entrance of the Smithsonian Institution Building. In 1972, the urn was restored and moved around to the west entrance of the Smithsonian Institution Building. The image in Goode's 1974 publication shows the urn in front of the Smithsonian Institution Building. A plaque located near the urn discusses the history of the urn and Downing's design of the Mall. A similar urn once sat in front of Downing's home at Newburgh, New York.

IAS files contain an excerpt from Jannelle Warren-Findley's Aug. 1, 1985 report for the National Park Service entitled, "A Guide to Selected Statues, Monuments and Memorials," National Capital Parks - Central, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. (RFQ 3-4-1919) which includes a brief maintenance history, a list of bibliographic sources, and notes to additional information found in National Park Service files.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 258.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. G-10.

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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