The Marquis de Lafayette, (sculpture).

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The Marquis de Lafayette, (sculpture).

Bartlett, Paul Wayland, 1865-1925, sculptor.

Entress, Albert, fabricator.

Roman Bronze Works, founder.

The Marquis de Lafayette, (sculpture).

Lafayette, (sculpture).

Original plaster 1907. Cast 1932. Dedicated Nov. 11, 1932. Relocated 1979.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: stone.

Sculpture: approx. 12 x 17.5 x 4 ft.; Base: approx. 10 x 17.5 x 15 ft.

(Proper right rear edge below horse's hoof:) Paul W. Bartlett 1907 (Rear edge of plinth:) ROMAN BRONZE WORKS N.Y. (On front of base:) Lafayette (On rear of base:) Paul W. Bartlett 1907 (On proper left side of base:) Donor Frances Hudson Storrs (date illegible) (Plaque on proper right side of base:) TO THE/MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE/BORN SEPTEMBER 6, 1757/DIED MAY 20, 1834/A TRUE FRIEND OF LIBERTY, WHO SERVED AS/A MAJOR GENERAL IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY WITH/"ALL POSSIBLE ZEAL, WITHOUT ANY SPECIAL PAY/OR ALLOWANCES" UNTIL THE AMERICAN COLONISTS/SECURED THEIR FREEDOM, AND WHOSE FREQUENT/VISITS TO THIS STATE AS AIDE TO WASHINGTON/AS LIAISON OFFICER WITH SUPPORTING FRENCH/TROOPS, AND IN THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM, ARE/GRATEFULLY REMEMBERED./THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED BY THE/CONNECTICUT LAFAYETTE BICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE/IN THE BICENTENNIAL YEAR OF/THE BIRTH OF THIS GREAT FRENCHMAN,/SEPTEMBER 21, 1957 signed Founder's mark appears.

Equestrian portrait of Lafayette in 18th-century dress, with a sword raised in his proper right hand. The horse's proper right hoof is raised. A small turtle is near the horse's proper left rear hoof. The sculpture is installed atop a three-tiered base.

Portrait male -- Lafayette, Marquis de -- Full length

Occupation -- Military

Animal -- Reptile -- Turtle

Outdoor Sculpture -- Connecticut -- Hartford

Administered by City of Hartford, Parks and Recreation Department, 550 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Located Lafayette Circle, Adjacent to 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06103

The sculpture is a replica of the Lafayette sculpture outside the Louvre, in Paris. After completion of the Paris sculpture, the artist gave the plaster model to the State of Connecticut, where it was placed in the State Capitol. In 1930, Frances B. Storrs donated $20,000 to make a bronze cast for the City of Hartford. The casting and dedication took place in 1932.

The meaning of the turtle is not known, but it reportedly may allude to the lack of speed in which the artist was paid, or the slow progress the artist made toward completion of the work. The sculpture was originally placed at the intersection of Washington Street and Capitol Avenue, but in 1979 it was moved to facilitate traffic patterns.

IAS files contain articles from The Hartford Courant, Sept. 19, 1975, Sept. 18, 1977; and the Hartford Times, Oct. 15, 1927, Nov. 10, 1932, and Dec. 2, 1953. IAS files also contain transcript of excerpts from Journals of the Senate and House of the Connecticut General Assembly for 1909; 1932 architectural drawing (1932); and related city correspondence.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey, 1993.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Inventory staff, 2001.

The Hartford Times, Oct. 15, 1927.

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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