Relief profile portriat of boy in black jacket, with walking stick and a dog.
portraits
soft sculpture
wax
paper (fiber product)
wood (plant material)
moss (plant)
glass (material)
Sculpture
"Cherished Possessions": This wax portrait depicts George Barrett, of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, at the age of eight or nine. The artist, John Christian Rauschner, was born in Germany, and worked in New York; Salem and Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia. Among the numerous surviving wax portraits by Rauschner, this is one of the most complex. Principally made in molds using colored clays, the artist picked out the details with paint. He painted the boy's eyes, eyebrows, and buttons, as well as the dog's eyes, nose, lips, and spots. He made the lace around Barrett's collar from wax, used a small wooden stick for the walking stick, created the surrounding trees and grass from both wax and natural moss, and placed the whole assemblage against a glass backdrop.
Barrett, George, 1801-1862
Used at Barrett House (New Ipswich, N.H.),
Rauschner, John Christian (1760-after 1812) (Sculptor)
11 x 9 1/2 (HxW) (inches)
Gift of Caroline Barr Wade
1948.726
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