AN AMERICAN WHITE MARBLE BUST OF NAPOLEON, BY THOMAS BALL; DATED 1856

Thomas Ball (1819-1911) began his career as a painter of miniatures, opening a studio in Boston in 1837. He did not have a formal training in sculpture and turned to modelling in 1851, fashioning a small portrait bust of the singer Jenny Lind (New York, NY Hist. Soc.). who had captured the hearts of American audiences during her two-year tour of the United States (1850-52). At the time, there was a large demand for these small busts called 'cabinet busts' by Americans who wanted images of famous people for their homes. Ball continued to make small portrait busts over the next year, but also made his first larger-than-life portrait, a bust of statesman Daniel Webster (plaster, 1853; Boston, MA, Athenaeum), followed by a statuette of Webster (plaster, 1853; New York, Met.), which became one of the first sculptures to be mass-produced in the form of numerous bronze and plaster replicas and patented in the USA. Success allowed the sculptor to travel to Italy in 1854 where he met Hiram Powers and other members of the Florence art colony. He stayed in Italy for three years and at this time created the present bust. The small bronzes and portraits he produced during these years are characterized by their smooth surfaces and minimal detail. In a letter from the artist dated Montclair NJ Nov. 29 1901 to Mr. Webster, Ball writes these interesting lines about this piece: "... for his bust was almost my first commission, and I think my very first work modelled in Italy. You wished for an original bust of the great conqueror; and you have it. I remember ... conscientiously I studied the subject. I have Canova's famous bust and the original bronze mask taken after death loaned to me by my old friend Powers before me. As I remember the work, I succeeded in making a pleasing bust, at any rate, the work you have is unique ..."
During the 1870s Ball received numerous commissions for portrait statues, notably the over life-size portrait of Charles Sumner (bronze, 1878; Boston, MA, Pub. Gdn) and the colossal portrait of Daniel Webster (1876; New York, Central Park), the design of which was based on the 1853 statuette.