Mammoth and Mastodons, (sculpture).

Mammoth and Mastodons, (sculpture).

Knight, Charles Robert, 1874-1953, sculptor.

Springweiler, Erwin, 1896-1968, sculptor.

Clark, Edwin H., architect.

Mammoth and Mastodons, (sculpture).

Prehistoric Animals, (sculpture).

Wooly Mammoth, Tusked Mastodons, h(sculpture).

1931-1937. Installed 1938.

Digital Reference:

Relief: limestone.

Relief: approx. 2 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft 6 in.

(Carved below animals:) AMERICAN MASTODON WOOLLY MAMMOTH FOUR TUSKED MASTODON unsigned

A low relief of three prehistoric ancestors of the elephant family is installed over the left entrance to the Elephant House. Two of the animals are depicted in profile and one if facing front. In the center is a woolly mammoth facing front with its long tusks curled upward and its trunk hanging down. Flanking the woolly mammoth are two mastodons in profile. On the proper left of the mammoth is a Four Tusked Mastodon with its short tusks pointing downward and its trunk slightly raised. On the proper right of the mammoth is the American Mastodon with its long tusks raised and its trunk curled under. In the background are palm trees and evergreen trees.

Animal -- Mammoth

Animal -- Mastodon

History -- Prehistoric

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Architectural component

Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Elephant House, over left entrance, Washington, District of Columbia 20008

This relief was acquired under the Public Works of Art Project during the 1930s. The relief was designed by Charles Knight and executed by Erwin Springweiler. IAS files contain a National Zoological Park 1988 cataloging sheet on the piece which notes that the piece was executed in 1937, but the SOS! survey notes that the piece was completed in 1931.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 116.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 2.17

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, B-13.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 2.17

Companion to: 76006659.

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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System