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General Andrew Jackson

Cream-colored bust of General Andrew Jackson in his military uniform.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Cream-colored bust of General Andrew Jackson in his military uniform.

Date:

1819

Artist:

William Rush
American, 1756–1833

About this artwork

Andrew Jackson was described by a contemporary as having “an erect military bearing, and a head set with considerable fierté [pride] upon his shoulders… . His eye is of a dangerous fixedness; … [and] the instant his lips close, a visor of steel would scarcely look more impenetrable.” William Rush rendered a remarkably similar depiction of the general. Demonstrating a blend of naturalism, subtlety, and strength, Rush avoided grandiosity in this terra-cotta portrait bust of the fifty-two-year-old military hero, who, ten years later, would begin to serve the first of two consecutive terms as president of the United States. The artist’s only concession to idealization was the replacement of the general’s well-known stiff, wiry hair with the soft curls that signify noble qualities in Neoclassical sculpture. Since there is no documentation that Jackson formally posed for Rush, the artist, a prominent resident of Philadelphia, may have observed the general during his three-day visit to the city in 1819. This sculpture achieved critical and commercial success, with one reviewer ranking it as “Rush’s masterpiece.” Hoping to benefit from Jackson’s popularity, Rush followed the European custom of producing plaster replicas of the bust.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

William Rush (Sculptor)

Title

General Andrew Jackson

Place

Philadelphia (Place depicted)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1819

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

50.5 × 47.9 × 22.2 cm (19 7/8 × 18 7/8 × 8 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Jamee J. and Marshall Field, the Brooks and Hope B. McCormick Foundation, and the Bessie Bennett, W. G. Field, Ada Turnbull Hertle, Laura T. Magnuson, and Major Acquisitions funds

Reference Number

1985.251

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/104094/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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