Three Gnomes, (sculpture).

Three Gnomes, (sculpture).

Unknown (Hungarian), sculptor.

Three Gnomes, (sculpture).

Grotesques, (sculpture).

18th or 19th c.

Gnomes: limestone; Bases: concrete.

3 gnomes. Each gnome: approx. H. 3 ft. 6 in.

Three gnomes, or grotesques, on individual bases. The first gnome, who may be a drunkard, pours liquid into a cup held in its proper left hand from a pitcher held in its proper right hand. The gnome has an over-sized head in relation to the rest of its body. The gnome is dressed in a shirt with both sleeves rolled up, a vest with handkerchief in the proper left breast pocket, and a tilted hat. The wide brim of the hat is flipped up. The second gnome is an old lady with an exaggerated face. She wears a peasant dress and a tied bonnet, and holds a purse with her proper right arm and has her proper left hand in her pocket. The third gnome is a smiling, full-faced man playing a violin. He wears a bow tie, a waistcoat, a wide-brimmed hat with the brim flipped back, and bows on his shoes.

Performing Arts -- Music -- Violin

Dress -- Accessory -- Handbag

Object -- Other -- Pitcher

Object -- Musical Instrument -- Violin

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kansas -- Mission Hills

Administered by City of Mission Hills, Council, 6300 State Line, Mission Hills, Kansas 66208

Located Park at intersection of Tomahawk Road, Ensley Lane & 64th Street, Mission Hills, Kansas

The gnomes are hand-carved from the 18th or 19th century. They were probably imported and installed by the J. C. Nichols Company during its development of the Country Club District in Mission Hills. Beginning in the 1920s, developer J. C. Nichols, and later his son, Miller Nichols, gave sculptures to local homes' associations. J. C. Nichols' plan was to create an urban neighborhood with country estate charms in classical European style. Since that time, the city has taken over the upkeep of the sculptures. Jensen Conservation Services cleaned, repaired and restored the sculpture in 1990. For related reading see Madelyn Voights' "Mission Hills, Reflections on the Past and Present," Kansas City, MO: Mission Hills Homes Company, Lowell Press, 1987. IAS files contain related materials and correspondence from the Jensen Foundation For Art Conservation Education & Research (Omaha, NE), Feb. 14, 1994.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kansas survey, 1993.

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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