| Artist | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Year | Unknown |
| Type | Limestone |
| Dimensions | 120 cm × 110 cm × 110 cm (48 in × 42 in × 42 in) |
| Location | Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Owner | Indianapolis Museum of Art |
Urns are a set of monumental limestone urns that serve as ornamental sculpture on the grounds of the historic Oldfields estate, located on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1][2][3]
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Each of these monumental footed urns (technically kraters, as they have no neck and a wide opening) is placed atop a tall, square limestone base. Distinguished by IMA accession number, the urn designated LH2001.234 is positioned on the north side of the Grand Allée, opposite its pendant (i.e., partner within the set), LH2001.235, located on the south side. The two urns have identical form and design, but the foot of LH2001.234 is a simplified replacement element.
The original design, still entirely present on LH2001.235, is as follows. The bottom of the bowl is approximately a hemisphere decorated with a radiating petal motif, and at the top of this form the sides contract slightly to extend upwards in a conical shape, gradually widening and then flaring out at the rim. Two matching goat heads project from opposite sides of the urn as metamorphosed handles, each overlapping the two sections of the bowl. Each goat has a flowing beard and two large horns that curl back to connect with the side of the urn. A grape-vine design with intertwining leaves, branches, and grape clusters circles the upper portion of the urn just under the rim.
The foot, made from a separate block of stone, tapers in somewhat conically from a square block, up to a small outward flare, upon which the narrow connection point of the bowl is positioned. The lowest circular edge of the pedestal and the top of the flare are decorated with an egg-and-dart pattern. LH2001.234's replacement foot is turned in the same way but lacks the egg-and-dart molding.
There is a drain hole built into each, exiting between the bottom of the pedestal and the base on the proper left side (of LH2001.235) or proper right side (LH2001.235). Because the urns are symmetrical the designation of these sides is arbitrary, based on their orientation at the Oldfields estate. There is no difference in form.
The opening at the top of each is roofed by an aluminum cover to keep out water and debris.[3]
The grounds of Oldfields were landscaped by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers in the 1920s. The property and all sculptures on it were donated to the IMA by the family of former Oldfields owner Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., in 1967. In 2001 the outdoor sculptures were assessed, and eighteen selected pieces were accessioned into the IMA’s Lilly House collection. The Urns were assigned Accession Numbers LH2001.234 and LH.2001.235.
Monumental urns developed from archaic Greek funerary practices. Such large, ceramic vessels were used as cinerary urns or as grave markers. By the neoclassical period the urn developed into an architectural element as well as a free-standing marker, usually in a pair to demarcate a liminal space, as here.
Nothing is known of the maker or origin of these two urns. A historic landscape report by O’Donnell et al. points out the similarity between these urns and a pair from the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, including a reference drawing of the latter.[4][3]
It is not known with certainty when this sculpture set was first brought to the Oldfields estate, but it is documented in historic photographs from the Landon era.
This urn and LH2001.235 are part of Gallagher’s original design of the Grand Allée; except for during the conservation repairs of 2006 they have not been moved from this location.
The current installation has the goat heads incorrectly oriented perpendicularly to the line of sight from the Lilly House, i.e., North-South. Prior to the 2006 treatment the heads were aligned East-West.[3]
The urns are monitored, cleaned, and treated regularly by the IMA art conservation staff. A conservation treatment was conducted in 2006 to consolidate cracking in the bottom of each bowl, the result of the annual freeze-thaw cycle. As of 2011 both urns are considered stable, though the cracks remain a concern.[5][3]
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