St. John the Evangelist, (sculpture).

St. John the Evangelist, (sculpture).

Ball, Thomas, 1819-1911, sculptor. (copy after)

St. John the Evangelist, (sculpture).

Saint John the Evangelist, (sculpture).

Original carved 1875. Replica cast 2001.

Approx. H. 225 cm.

Full-length standing figure holding open book in his left hand and pen in his right. Face is turned upward and to the left.

Religion -- Saint -- St. John

Object -- Written Matter -- Book

Object -- Other -- Writing Tool

Outdoor Sculpture -- Massachusetts -- Boston

Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02130

This sculpture is a polymer replica made from a mold of the original sculpture, which stood on Oliver Ditson's gravesite until the spring of 2001. Charleston, Massachusetts born sculptor Thomas Ball carved the original sculpture in 1875 for Aaron Davis Williams (1821-1899), a friend of Ball's who made his wealth as a bank president and heir to the Boston Lead Works. When Williams lost his fortune, Oliver Ditson (1811-1888), a successful music publisher and founder of the New England Conservatory, purchased the sculpture from Williams' bankruptcy auction, which was held at Oak Bend, Williams' Walnut Avenue mansion in Roxbury Highlands. In the spring of 2001, a mold was taken and a polymer replica was cast. The replica was placed on the Ditson gravesite and the original sculpture was moved indoors to protect it from the adverse effects of the elements.

SOS Achievement Award, 2001.

Replica for: 76008829.

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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