Object Details
Artist
Samuel Rothbort, born Wolkovisk, Russia 1882-died New York City 1971
Luce Center Label
Samuel Rothbort developed work in wood and stone during the 1930s. He never used commercial materials and instead salvaged pieces of driftwood, fieldstone, and even old fence posts for his carvings. Jonah and the Whale was carved from an uneven block of granite, in which the soft lines and rough texture evoke Rothbort’s belief that he “released” the image from within the stone.
Luce Object Quote
“When I work in [stone] I feel immortal and the subject springs out of the material.” Samuel Rothbort, quoted in Hollis Taggart Galleries Exhibition Catalogue, 1969
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ida Rothbort, Daughter
Date
ca. 1930s
Object number
1996.14
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
granite
Dimensions
10 x 15 3/4 x 8 5/8 in. (25.4 x 40.0 x 22.0 cm.)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 46B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\whale
Religion\Old Testament\Jonah
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1996.14