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拍品專文
This towering figure was erected in front of Gorham's Adelaide Street building in the Elmwood section of Providence in 1894. The massive new company headquarters opened in May of 1890, replacing the earlier Steeple Street location. At the time, the new facility - the building occupying 6 acres - was the world's most advanced facility for the production of silver wares and bronzes.
On 18 December 1893, The Providence Journal, printed the headline "Vulcan in Bronze./Statue is to Adorn Front of Gorham Company's Works A most Acceptable Addition to the City's List of Statues". Lauding Gorham's new aesthetic enhancement, the reporter commented on the "attractive and tasteful external surroundings which factories display" and noted that the statue would be erected as early as weather permitted.
Vulcan - or Hephaestus in Greek - was the god of fire and blacksmithing who forged weapons for gods and heroes. He taught primitive man the use of fire, and as Hephaestus, he was worshipped with Minerva as the protector of craftsmen. It was in this capacity that he was meant to be a symbol for the Gorham company.
An earlier example of the Vulcan by the London sculptor Mario Raggi stands atop the Town Hall in Sheffield, England. Differing slightly from the Gorham example in that the figure is portrayed nude, the symbol has become an icon of Sheffield. Raggi was awarded the commission after winning a national competition. A searchlight was attached to the Sheffield Vulcan's outstretched hand at the dedication of the Town Hall in 1897.
Born in Carrara, Italy, Mario Raggi (d.1907) studied under R. Monti and M. Noble. Working in England, he exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1854 to 1895, and produced a number of monuments, statues and bas-reliefs.
On 18 December 1893, The Providence Journal, printed the headline "Vulcan in Bronze./Statue is to Adorn Front of Gorham Company's Works A most Acceptable Addition to the City's List of Statues". Lauding Gorham's new aesthetic enhancement, the reporter commented on the "attractive and tasteful external surroundings which factories display" and noted that the statue would be erected as early as weather permitted.
Vulcan - or Hephaestus in Greek - was the god of fire and blacksmithing who forged weapons for gods and heroes. He taught primitive man the use of fire, and as Hephaestus, he was worshipped with Minerva as the protector of craftsmen. It was in this capacity that he was meant to be a symbol for the Gorham company.
An earlier example of the Vulcan by the London sculptor Mario Raggi stands atop the Town Hall in Sheffield, England. Differing slightly from the Gorham example in that the figure is portrayed nude, the symbol has become an icon of Sheffield. Raggi was awarded the commission after winning a national competition. A searchlight was attached to the Sheffield Vulcan's outstretched hand at the dedication of the Town Hall in 1897.
Born in Carrara, Italy, Mario Raggi (d.1907) studied under R. Monti and M. Noble. Working in England, he exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1854 to 1895, and produced a number of monuments, statues and bas-reliefs.