Series of sculptures by Daniel Chester French in Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Four Continents is the collective name of four sculptures by
Daniel Chester French , installed outside the
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at
Bowling Green in
Manhattan , New York City.
[1] French performed the commissions with associate
Adolph A. Weinman .
[2]
Description and history
The work was made of marble
[3] and sculpted by the
Piccirilli Brothers ,
[4]
[5] with each sculptural group costing $13,500 (equivalent to $440,000 in 2022).
[4] The sculptures were first shown to the public in 1905.
[3] From east to west, the statues depict larger-than-life-size
personifications of Asia, America, Europe, and Africa.
[6]
[3] The primary figures are female, but there are also auxiliary human figures flanking each primary figure. In addition, Asia's figure is paired with a tiger, and Africa's figure is paired with a lion.
[3]
Gallery
Asia
America
Europe
Africa
See also
References
^ Keyes, Allison (March 5, 2018).
"Two Museum Directors Say It's Time to Tell the Unvarnished History of the U.S." Smithsonian Magazine . Retrieved 2020-03-02 .
^
"United States Custom House" (PDF) .
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission . October 14, 1965.
Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2019 ; van Alfen, Peter.
"Monuments, Medals, and Metropolis, part I: Beaux Arts Architecture" . Archived from
the original on January 12, 2014 ; Harris, J. (2002).
The New Art History: A Critical Introduction . Taylor & Francis. p. 269.
ISBN
978-1-134-58250-1 . Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
^
a
b
c
d
"For Four Marble Groups; Symbols of Continents for the Custom House by D.C. French Shown" . The New York Times . April 30, 1905.
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
^
a
b
"United States Custom House Interior" (PDF) .
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission . January 9, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2020 .
^
"Custom House Statues" . New-York Tribune . November 13, 1905. p. 9. Retrieved March 24, 2020 – via newspapers.com
; Gray, Christopher (October 17, 1999).
"Streetscapes/The Piccirillis; Six Brothers Who Left Their Mark as Sculptors" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020 .
^
White, Norval ; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010).
AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p.
13 .
ISBN
978-0-19538-386-7 .
External links
Sculptures (
public ) Medals Museums Related
Sculptures Coins and medals Related
Buildings
West of Broadway/ State Street East of Broadway/ State Street Former buildings
Other points of interest
Arts and culture Parks and plazas Food and drink
Transportation
Public transport Other transport Streets
Key : † No longer extant or on public display