Tomb effigy of Elisabeth Boott Duveneck by Frank Duveneck (1848-1919) and Clement John Born (1857-1935). Sculpted in Rome, 1891; cast 1927 Bronze and gold leaf, 28 1/2 x 85 x 41 1/4 inches (72.4 x 215.9 x 104.8 cm) Rogers Fund, 1927. Accession Number: 27.64. Click on images to enlarge them.

According to the museum website, “After the death of Elizabeth Boott Duveneck (1846-1888), her bereaved husband, the painter Frank Duveneck, modeled a funerary monument with the guidance of the Cincinnati sculptor Clement J. Barnhorn. Reminiscent of Gothic and Renaissance gisant (recumbent) tomb effigies, the figure reclines peacefully, arms folded over her chest. The palm branch stretching nearly the entire length of her body symbolizes Christian victory over death and suggests that her sleep is not temporary, but eternal. The original bronze is on Elizabeth Duveneck’s grave in the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori, the Protestant cemetery on the outskirts of Florence.”

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Last modified 31 October 2015