The Boy

Skip to main content
Photograph by David Revette.
The Boy
Photograph by David Revette.
Artist/Maker (American, 1836 - 1923)
Collaborating Artist/Maker (American, 1875 - 1951)
Date1902
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 40 11/16 × 21 1/16 × 23 1/4 in. (103.3 × 53.5 × 59.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip V. Rogers
Object number1994.104
On view
DescriptionOriginally intended to top an outdoor fountain, this statue is one of at least four that were designed by the painter Elihu Vedder, in collaboration with sculptor Charles Keck. Although Vedder was best known for his paintings depicting literary and mythological subject matter, he transitioned to the field of decorative arts in 1881. Thereafter, he became a popular designer of murals, book illustrations, and stained-glass windows. In addition, he designed numerous decorative works intended for domestic interiors, including door knockers, tiles, firebacks, and bell pulls. This bronze sculpture features a classically-rendered youth with raised arms balancing a basin on his head and standing on a stylized base resembling an ancient Roman oil lamp. It is among the largest works Vedder designed for domestic decoration. The fountain was purchased by Charles B. Rogers for the grounds of his estate (SOURCE: Wellin Museum permanent collection label, Summer 2016).

Additional Details

Alternate Titles Fountain with Standing Boy
Exhibition History 2017
Clinton, NY (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College). "Innovative Approaches, Honored Traditions: The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Five Years, Highlights from the Permanent Collection," September 9 - December 10, 2017 (cat. no 55, illus.).
Provenance 1994: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by gift of Phillip V. Rogers;
c. 1937 - 1994: Phillip V. Rogers, presumably by inheritance from his father;
1909 - 1937: Charles B. Rogers (1865-1937), by purchase from the artist.
Markings None noted.
Published References Katherine D. Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS: THE RUTH AND ELMER WELLIN MUSEUM OF ART AT FIVE YEARS, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION (Clinton, NY: Wellin Museum of Art, 2017), p. 140;

Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, "Acquisitions 1994," FRIENDS OF ART NEWSLETTER (August 1995).
Signature See inscription.
Inscribed "Copyright 1902 by Elihu Vedder Asst by Charles Keck" inscribed into bronze along base.
Figures in a Wooded Landscape
Daniel Huntington
Date: 1867
Medium: Oil on canvas
Object number: 2004.7
Photograph by John Bentham.
Charles E. Burchfield
Date: March 1916
Medium: Watercolor and graphite on paper
Object number: 2016.1.1
Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. Pho…
Charles E. Burchfield
Date: April 1, 1916
Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper
Object number: 2016.1.2
Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton…
Antoine-Louis Barye
Date: modeled c. 1832
Medium: Bronze
Object number: 1994.21
© 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (AR…
Jacob Lawrence
Date: 1977
Medium: Lithograph
Object number: 2020.2
© Ibrahim Said. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, …
Ibrahim Said
Date: 2021
Medium: White earthenware with glaze
Object number: 2021.11
Compote
Sèvres Manufactory
Date: 1846
Medium: Hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze
Object number: 1992.43a-b
Luncheon Plate
Sèvres Manufactory
Date: 1838
Medium: Hard-paste porcelain
Object number: 1992.44
Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College. Photograph by Jo…
Charles E. Burchfield
Date: 1916
Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper
Object number: 2020.11.2
Shakespear's Pound: Illuminated Cantos
Dorothy Shakespear
Date: 1999
Medium: Printed book
Object number: 2002.31
Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton…
Date: c. 883-859 BCE
Medium: Gypsum with remnants of red pigment
Object number: 1868.5
Photograph by John Bentham.
Antonio da Trento
Date: c. 1527-1531
Medium: Chiaroscuro woodcut from two blocks (pale green and black)
Object number: 1992.24