The Boy

Elihu VedderWW-1900-142374

1900·Bronze·106.7 × (diam. of pan on figure's head) 53 cm (42 × 20 7/8 in.)

<p>This fountain sculpture is one of an edition of at least four that were produced collaboratively by the painter Elihu Vedder and the sculptor Charles Keck. The two artists met in Rome, where Vedder lived, while Keck was studying at the American Academy. The sculpture is one of the many decorative art objects that Vedder designed during his career; others include door knockers, bell pulls, and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/251877">firebacks</a>. This work, however, is the only large-scale piece produced from one of his designs. Originally nude, the figure was adorned with a modest scarf sometime after it was cast.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1900
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 106.7 × (diam. of pan on figure's head) 53 cm (42 × 20 7/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Elihu Vedder

Artist

Elihu Vedder

Painting

Elihu Vedder was an American painter and illustrator known for symbolic and allegorical compositions often populated by classical and mythological figures. Active across the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he worked in oil and watercolor, developing a distinctive aesthetic that merged Academic training with decorative sensibility. His murals and book illustrations, particularly for editions of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, established him as a major figure in American Symbolism. Vedder spent significant periods in Italy, where his engagement with Renaissance tradition and classical subject matter deepened. His work balanced narrative complexity with formal elegance, influencing American decorative arts into the early twentieth century.

New York, NY, USA

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