Dante Alighieri, (sculpture).

Dante Alighieri, (sculpture).

Abbate, Paolo Salvatore, 1884-1973, sculptor.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

Dante Alighieri, (sculpture).

Poet of the Eternities, (sculpture).

1921. Copyrighted 1921. Dedicated Oct. 12, 1921. Relocated 1986. Rededicated Oct. 12, 1986.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite

Sculpture: approx. 3 ft. 6 in. x 2 ft. 8 in. x 2 ft. 8 in.; Base: approx. 7 ft. x 5 ft. x 4 ft. 7 in. (500 lbs.).

(On sculpture, proper left side:) (copyright symbol) P. S. Abbate/1921 New York (On sculpture, lower rear:) ROMAN BRONZE WORKS NY (On sculpture, lower front:) DANTE (On base, front:) TO/THE MEMORY /OF/DANTE ALIGHIERI/POET OF THE ETERNITIES/THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED/ON THE VI CENTENARY OF HIS DEATH/BY/THE CITIZENS OF NEWBURGH/OCTOBER XII MCMXXI/UNDER THE AUSPICES OF/THE ITALIAN COLONY. (On base, rear:) RESTORED BY/NEWBURGH/CHAPTER/UNICO/OCTOBER 12, 1986 signed Founder's mark appears.

Bust of Dante Alighieri, wears a cap and the wreath of a poet. The bust stands on a tapered base and in enclosed by a short, iron fence.

Portrait male -- Alighieri, Dante -- Bust

Occupation -- Writer -- Poet

Ethnic -- Italian

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Newburgh

Administered by Newburgh City Board of Education, Newburgh Free Library, 124 Grand Street, Newburgh, New York 12550

Located Newburgh Free Library, Newburgh, New York

Formerly administered by City of Newburgh, Newburgh, New York 1921-1986.

Formerly located Downing Park, Newburgh, New York 1921-1986.

Gift of the Italian American Colony, or Sons of Italy, who raised funds for the piece through public subscription. The erection of the sculpture was part of a larger series of programs designed to celebrate the sixth centenary of the death of Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The sculpture was originally located in Downing Park, Newburgh. In the summer of 1986, the bust was loaned to the Torrington Historical Society in Connecticut for an exhibit on the work of sculptor Paolo S. Abbate. That same year, the bust and its base were restored by Unico, an Italian-American association. Graffiti was sandblasted from the base by Jack and Cossie Saffioti. Connecticut artisan David Leaves stripped gray paint from the bust and applied a new patina. The work was relocated and rededicated at the Newburgh Free Library. IAS files contain a copy of a postcard which shows the work in its original location, Downing Park, dedication programs from 1921 and 1986 and related articles from L'Interpetre (Poughkeepsie, New York), vol. 1 no. 1, Feb. 1927; the Newburgh News, Oct. 12, 1946; the Middletown Herald Record, Oct. 7, 1986, and the Newburgh Evening News, Oct. 12, 1986 and Dec. 24, 1989.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York survey, 1994.

Newburgh Evening News, Dec. 24, 1989, pg 9B.

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