Andrew Jackson Downing (Launitz)
| Andrew Jackson Downing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Robert Eberhard Launitz |
| Year | 1856 |
| Type | Carrara marble |
| Dimensions | 120 cm (4 ft); 61 cm diameter (2 ft) |
| Location |
Enid A. Haupt Garden, Smithsonian Institution Building, Washington, D.C., United States |
| 38°53.301′N 77°1.527′W / 38.888350°N 77.025450°W | |
| Owner | Smithsonian Institution |
The Andrew Jackson Downing Urn, also known as the Downing Urn, is a memorial and public artwork, located in the Enid A. Haupt Garden of the Smithsonian Institution, in Southwest, Washington, D.C. [1]
The outdoor sculpture of a garden vase−urn commemorates Andrew Jackson Downing (1815−1852), an American landscape designer and horticulturalist, and considered to be one of the founders of American landscape architecture. [1]
History
The memorial was designed by architect and landscape designer Calvert Vaux, and sculpted by Robert Eberhard Launitz. [1]
It was located and dedicated on the National Mall in September 1856. [1]
It was relocated to the Smithsonian's Enid A. Haupt Garden on 11 August 1966, and rededicated there on 25 April 1972. [1]
Inscription
The inscription reads,
(on the south face of the base):
WAS ERECTED BY HIS FRIENDS
IN MEMORY OF
ANDREW JACKSON DOWNING
WHO DIED JULY 28, 1852, AGED 37 YEARS
HE WAS BORN AND LIVED
AND DIED UPON THE HUDSON RIVER
HIS LIFE WAS DEVOTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE NATIONAL
TASTE IN RURAL ART
AN OFFICE FOR WHICH HIS GENIUS AND THE NATURAL BEAUTY ALMOST
WHICH HE LIVED HAD FULLY ENDOWED HIM
HIS SUCCESS WAS AS GREAT AS HIS GENIUS AND FOR THE DEATH
OF FEW PUBLIC MEN
WAS PUBLIC GRIEF EVER MORE SINCERE
WHEN THESE GROUNDS WERE PROPOSED, HE WAS AT ONCE
CALLED TO DESIGN THEM
BUT BEFORE THEY WERE COMPLETED HE PERISHED IN THE WRECK
OF THE STEAMER HENRY CLAY
HIS MIND WAS SINGULARLY JUST, PENETRATING AND ORIGINAL
HIS MANNERS WERE CALM, RESERVED, AND COURTEOUS
HIS PERSONAL MEMORY
BELONGS TO THE FRIENDS WHO LOVE HIM;
HIS FAME TO THE COUNTRY WHICH HONORS AND LAMENTS HIM[2]
See also
- List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
- Lists of public art in Washington, D.C.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gardens.si.edu: Andrew Jackson Downing Urn . accessed 17 April 2017.
- ↑ "Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey: Downing Urn". 1993. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
External links
- SmithsonianInstitution.edu: The Downing Urn in the Enid A. Haupt Garden
- DCmemorials.com: Andrew Jackson Downing Urn
- Hmdb.org: Andrew Jackson Downing Urn
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