Augustus Saint-Gaudens
American, 1848–1907
The Puritan, conceived 1886, cast ca. 1900–1905
Bronze with green-brown patina
Height: 30½ in. (77.5 cm)
Inscribed: AVGVSTVS SAINT-GAVDENS / COPYRIGHT BY AVGVSTVS SAINT GAVDENS MDCCCXCIX
Base inscribed: THE PVRITAN
Accompanied by original marble pedestal
One of the most iconic works of American sculpture, The Puritan was originally commissioned in 1883 to commemorate Deacon Samuel Chapin, a founding settler of Springfield, Massachusetts. The figure’s stern dignity, emphasized by his wide-brimmed hat, Bible, and cloak, became an enduring symbol of early New England piety and civic virtue.
This edition was cast by 1905, during the artist’s lifetime, and retains Saint-Gaudens’s original inscription. The sculpture is renowned for its commanding posture, powerful modeling, and expressive detail, which embody the sculptor’s skill in merging classical form with American subject matter.
Provenance:
Gifted by a prominent corporation to Dr. Thomas H. Willard, ca. 1904–05
By descent to Paul Willard, 1936
Returned to the corporate collection
Literature:
Included in major publications on American sculpture and Saint-Gaudens, including The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Dryfhout, 1982) and American Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Tolles, 1999), among others.
