Sheldon Memorial Exedra and Sundial, (sculpture).

Sheldon Memorial Exedra and Sundial, (sculpture).

Carrere & Hastings, architectural firm.

Sheldon Memorial Exedra and Sundial, (sculpture).

1910. Dedicated 1910. Rededicated Jan. 1992.

Digital Reference:

Sundial: bronze; Table top: granite; Exedra: marble.

Sculpture: approx. 6 x 26 x 16 ft.; Base: approx. 1 1/2 x 27 x 21 ft.

(On sundial:) As a shadow Such is life (On exedra, front left:) In memoriam/Franklin Lacy Sheldon, M.E./Class of 1892/Born Auburn, N.Y./September 25th 1867/Died New York City/May 17, 1895 (On exedra, front right:) In memoriam/Charles Lacy Sheldon Jr., A.M./Class of 1901/Born Auburn, N.Y./May 21st 1878/Died Auburn, N.Y./June 4th 1908 unsigned

A sundial rests on a green table top with legs carved into lions. The table stands in a semi-circular, three-stepped exedra. The exedra terminates on both ends with a funeral grave marker and urn. The whole sculpture is modeled after temples and tombs uncovered in excavations of Pompeii.

Homage -- Sheldon, Franklin Lacy

Homage -- Sheldon, Charles Lacy Jr.

Object -- Furniture -- Table

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Ithaca

Administered by Cornell University, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York 14853

Located Cornell University, South of Goldwin-Smith Hall on the Arts Quad, Ithaca, New York

Commissioned in 1910 by Charles Lacy Sheldon (Auburn, NY) in memory of his sons Charles Jr. and Franklin, both University graduates. In 1990, the monument was moved 150 feet west from where is originally stood to accommodate construction of the library. The work was restored in 1991. The bronze elements were cleaned and the gnomon was replaced. The marble was cleaned and given a protective coating. Cracks were filled in with cement. For related reading, see "Contributions to Cornell History," by Elizabeth Baker Wells, Cornell University, revised 1984, pg. 145, 186. IAS files contain a related article from the Ithaca Journal, Aug. 27, 1994.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York survey, 1994.

Cornell Alumni News 64 (Nov. 1961): cover.

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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