Sculpture by America’s First Professional Female Sculptor Sat Hidden in Plain Sight
Until its discovery during a house appraisal in England, the debut bust by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer - a celebrated artist and feminist icon - had, for decades, been mistaken for an ordinary garden ornament.
Covered in lichen, the 19th-century bust, which depicts Daphne, a nymph from Greek mythology, was identified during a routine property valuation. It is believed to have been carved in in 1854 and to be the first sculpture by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, who is known today for being America’s first professional female sculptor, a pioneer for gender equality and a queer icon.
Hosmer’s name is inscribed on the back of the artwork, along with the phrase “Me Fecit Roma,” Latin for “Rome Made Me.” Now cleaned to reveal its gorgeous marble surface, the sculpture has been valued at around $25,000 and will go under the hammer later this year. Naturally, the family that owns it is delighted, and believes it was purchased at auction by an ancestor in the mid-1900s, though its provenance remains uncertain, says ArtNews.
Thomas Jenner-Fust, the director of Chorley’s Auctioneers, discovered the sculpture during a house valuation. The owners “had no idea it was marble, no idea who it was by and no idea it was so valuable,” he tells BBC News. “It’s a bit like a treasure hunt. You never really know what you’re going to find next, and that’s the thrill of the chase.”
Born in 1830 in Massachusetts, Hosmer spent a significant portion of her early career in the Italian city, living and working within a small circle of other female expatriate sculptors who were sometimes referred to, in a nod to their marble medium and with faint sexism, as the “white marmorean flock.” In an era when women were openly derided for pursuing careers outside of traditional gender roles, Hosmer earned acclaim for her fortitude and outstanding skill.
