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The Soul of Contentment (Black Bear)

A work made of bronze with black patina.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze with black patina.

Date:

Modeled 1886, cast 1886–99

Artist:

Edward Kemeys (American, 1843–1907)

About this artwork

Edward Kemeys produced both large- and small-scale bronze sculptures—perhaps most notably, the famous lions that flank the Art Institute’s Michigan Avenue entrance (1893.1a and 1893.1b), which were created for the museum’s opening during the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The artist’s subjects were partially informed by his western travels and studies of animals in their natural habitats. Unlike his Locked in Death, however—which shows animals as predatory—Soul of Contentment is a sentimental study of nature at its most domesticated.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Edward Kemeys (Sculptor)

Title

The Soul of Contentment (Black Bear)

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

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.

Modeled 1886

Medium

Bronze with black patina

Inscriptions

Signed on right side of base: "Edward Kemeys 1886"

Dimensions

26.7 × 35.6 × 25.4 cm (10 1/2 × 14 × 10 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Margaret S. Watson

Reference Number

1899.45

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/56698/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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