First Grief

Art

Historic Charleston Foundation

First Grief, West Parlor

Origformat: 35 mm color print, 4

Name/Title

First Grief

Entry/Object ID

96.3.2

Description

"First Grief," Italian, c.1857, white marble. Sculpture of Young Boy in a Toga. He holds a dead bird. The bird's nest with eggs are at the base of the tree stump. A snake emerges from its hole near the child's feet. Child stands on a richley textured ground and leans against a tree stump. Sculpture stands on a faux marble columnar base.

Artwork Details

Medium

Marble

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Collection

Acquisition

Accession

96.3.

Source or Donor

The Charleston Museum

Acquisition Method

Transfer

Made/Created

Artist

Crawford, Thomas

Date made

1847 - 1867

Place

Location

Italy

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Sculpture

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Other Names and Numbers

Other Numbers

Number Type

Other Number

953

Dimensions

Height

39-1/2 in

Width

14 in

Depth

14 in

Diameter

12 in

Dimension Notes

[height]40" __[length] __[width]14" __[depth]14" __[diameter] __[size] __[other] Pedestal: 45" (H) 19.75" by 19.75 (W)

Location

Building

AR EAST PARLOR

Moved By

Jill Beute Koverman

Date

June 25, 2002

Notes

Until: / /

Location

Building

AR ART GALLERY

Moved By

Red

Date

April 23, 1998

Notes

Until: / /

Location

Building

AR 109

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Notes

Cleaned By Shelley Reisman Paine in November 1997. the Structure Appears Stable and There Is No Apparent Active Biological Damage. There Are No Apparent Areas of Loss, Deformation, Insecurity Or Repair. See File For Report Details

Notes

Structure: The sculpture is made in two parts, the head and body. The stone is compact, coherent, and fine grained. The surface has a fine polish that provides a high luster to the sculpture. Surface: A thin layer of airborne dirt, grime, covers the surface. There are no areas of surface deformation, accretion or insecurity at this time. Damage Information: There are minor areas of loss along the perimeter of the object and base. There are no structural deformations apparent at this time. There are moderate and major accumulations of dirt, pollution and smoke residue in recesses of the design, and on the underside of the design causing the color of the stone to appear dark gray. There is minor abrasion overall. There is no apparent biological damage.

Conservation

Treatment

Conservator

Shelley Reisman Paine

Notes

Scope of work: Pre-treatment examination and identification: A technical examination, conducted by the conservator, will be performed to reflect aspects of manufacture and material identification to verify and augment what is currently known about the object. This examination will also include identification of post-collection deterioration, treatment or alteration. This information will be used to to design the final treatment proposal. The proposal above is an approximation of the materials and techniques needed for treatment. Curatorial collaboration is needed to define the full scope of the treatment proposal. No unneccessary measures will be taken and every effort will be made to maintain the research potential of the object. Treatment will be performed only after final examination of the object and receipt of written approval from the owner. Any alteration to the final treatment proposal and release will be discussed with the owner for approval. Test: Perform solubility tests to determine safe an appropriate treatment materials to remove grime and accretions without harm to the stone. Clean: The sculpture and base will be cleaned with a low suction vacuum on the surface of the object to remove loose surface debris. Surface accumulations will be removed with a gentle misting of filtered water and soft brushes. Removal of surface soil, stains, and grime will possibly be done with any of the following: a misting system, application of a .05% non-ionic detergent, application of ammonium citrate, or an ammonium bicarbonate/sodium bicarbonate solution, All residues will be removed wit pH balanced water applied with a mister, brush, swab or steam. Since the success of the treatment cannot be truly assessed until it is tested and performed, this proposal only provides for cleaning with weak solutions and mild detergents. Compensate: Areas of loss will be filled with either tinted wax or a wax/resin filler toned to match the color of the stone. Documentation: The condition and treatment of the object will be documented in 35mm color slides and in written reports. Cost: 1200

Provenance

Notes

Collected By: Aiken Family sculpture similar to "The Broken Tambourine" in the James H. Ricau sculpture collection at the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA.

Exhibitions

Exhibition

Notes

Exhibit Start: 2004-06-07

General Notes

Note

Notes: Research notes compiled by Renee Marshall between 1996 and 1999: Although There Is No Confirmation, the Sculpture Is Quite Similar To the Work of Joel Tanner Hart (1810-1877) , a Kentucky Sculptor Who Established a Studio in Florence, Italy. Research Follow Up Needed. Status: OK Location Details1: 1

Created By

[email protected]

Create Date

April 23, 1998

Updated By

[email protected]

Update Date

March 30, 2023