Monument of Francis Asbury, (sculpture).

Monument of Francis Asbury, (sculpture).

Lukeman, Augustus, 1871-1935, sculptor.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

Monument of Francis Asbury, (sculpture).

Prophet of the Long Road, (sculpture).

Equestrian Monument of Francis Asbury, (sculpture).

Dedicated Oct. 14, 1926.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 13 ft. 3 in. x 4 ft. x 10 ft. 4 in.; Base: approx. 6 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft. 4 in. x 10 ft. 4 in.

(Front of base:) FRANCIS ASBURY/1745-1816/METHODIST PIONEER/ITINERANT PREACHER (Back of base:) TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN ENDURING MEMORY OF/EDWARD STELLWAGON PILLING/CLASS OF 1885/THE GIFT OF HIS BROTHER WILLIAM S. PILLING (Proper left side:) AUGUSTUS LUKEMAN (Back side:) CAST BY ROMAN BRONZE WORKS, NY

Francis Asbury sits on a horse with his proper right hand holding a Bible to his chest and his proper left hand holding the horse's reins down on his proper left leg. He is wearing a hat, a long cape, a long coat, and high boots. The horse has his proper left, front leg slightly extended and his head lowered.

Portrait male -- Asbury, Francis -- Full length

Occupation -- Religion -- Preacher

Occupation -- Religion -- Bishop

Object -- Written Matter -- Bible

Animal -- Horse

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Jersey -- Madison

Administered by Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940

Located Drew University, In front of Mead Hall, Madison, New Jersey

The sculpture was the gift of William S. Pilling, of the Board of Trustees, Drew University. It was a memorial to the late Reverend Edward S. Pilling, a graduate of Drew Theological Seminary class of 1885 and the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church to be ordained in the U.S. The cost of the sculpture was $16,000. The sculpture is similar to the Asbury statue designed by the artist and erected in Washington D.C. two years earlier. The Asbury commission refused to let Lukeman do an exact replica of the Washington statue, so the position of the horse's head has been changed. IAS files contain related newsclippings from Madison Eagle (NJ) Oct. 8,, 1926, pg. 1; additional reference citations; and excerpt from Virginia L. Bostick's "The History of Public Monuments & Sculptures of Morris County, New Jersey," New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 1978. IAS files also contain an unmounted photocopy of a photograph from the Drew University Archives, possibly taken during the 1926 dedication ceremony.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Jersey survey, 1994.

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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