Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2009.40 |
Object Name |
Relief |
Title |
Relief with Portrait of George Frideric Handel |
Artist |
Unknown |
Description |
Bas-relief portrait of man facing his right with curled hair, bags under eyes and double chin carved in wood. Inscribed "Hä" under neckband. Four holes positioned around perimeter of support for attachment when mounting. |
Label |
This portrait was purchased by the APS in 1951 and was originally thought to be of Benjamin Franklin. The portrait has now been identified as George Frideric Handel. Born in 1685 in Germany, he first began learning music around the age of seven, focusing on the organ, harpsichord, and clavichord. After a period in Germany and Italy, he headed to London in 1710, where he spent most of the rest of his life. Handel composed operas, choral anthems, and oratorios, including the anthem for the coronation of George II in 1727 and, in 1742, his Messiah, one of the most popular and reproduced works in Western choral literature. Representative of the height of the “high baroque” style, Handel's music grew in popularity after his death in 1759. |
Medium |
Wood |
Dimensions |
D-1.75 Dia-8.375 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century sculpture profile |