William Penn, (sculpture).

William Penn, (sculpture).

Cheere, John, d. 1787, sculptor. (attributed to)

Bacon, John, 1740-1799, sculptor. (formerly attributed to)

William Penn, (sculpture).

Sculpture: lead painted black; Base: marble.

Sculpture: approx. H. 6 ft. W. 2 1/2 ft.; Base: approx. 4 x 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 ft.

(Base, front at top:) by JOHN PENN A.D. 1804 (Base, front:) William Penn/Born 1611(?)/Died 1718/Penn Coat of Arms/Pennsylvania/Granted by/Charles II/to/William Penn/1681 (Base, rear:) The Proprietary arrived/1682/Just and Amicable arrangement/with the Natives for the Purchase of their Lands/And/Went back to England/1684 (Base, right side:) Returned to Pennsylvania/1699/and finally withdrew/to/His Paternal Estates/1701 (Scroll:) CHARTER of PRIVILEGES to/Pennsylvania MDCC/Almighty God/being the only person, who shall acknowledge/one Almighty God/and Profess himself obliged to live Quietly/under the /Civil Government/Shall be in any case/molested and prejudiced unsigned

Standing portrait of William Penn dressed in a long coat, buttoned vest, shirt with a tie at the collar, knee britches, and shoes with buckles. His head is bent down and his long wavy hair hangs around either side of his face. On his head, he wears a flat hat with a wide brim. In his proper left hand he holds out the Charter for Pennsylvania. With his proper right hand he points to the Charter.

Portrait male -- Penn, William -- Full length

Dress -- Historic -- Eighteenth Century Dress

Occupation -- Political -- Statesman

Occupation -- Military -- Admiral

Occupation -- Other -- Colonizer

Ethnic -- British

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Hospital, 800 Pine Street, Hospital Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Formerly in the collection of Penn, John, Stoke Poges, Pennsylvania after 1788-1804.

This sculpture was produced in England and is possibly the same statue Benjamin Franklin wrote about following his visit to Lord Le Despencer's estate in Buckinghamshire, England where he saw a statue of William Penn installed. The statue was sold by subsequent owners of the estate. John Penn, grandson of William Penn, came across this statue in a junk shop in London and acquired it for his home in Stoke Poges, Pennsylvania. The statue was designed to be installed on the top of a roof which is why the figure is looking down. John Penn gave it to the Pennsylvania Hospital which recorded the arrival of the statue as September 1804.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 20.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.

Bach, Penny Balkin, Public Art in Philadelphia, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 20, 191.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 20.

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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