| TITLE
| Henry Clay (after Joel Tanner Hart) |
| CREATOR | Unknown |
| DATE | 1847-1853 |
| DIMENSIONS | 27.5 x 18.5 x 9 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Sculpture |
| MEDIUM | Plaster |
| PHYSICAL NOTE | This plaster sculpture is one of the 16 that sit atop the bookshelves in the library’s main hall. |
| DONOR | Gift of Henry I. Beckwith |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1853 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Main Library |
This bust of American statesman Henry Clay [1777-1852], is one of sixteen that circle the Athenæum’s main hall.
Born in Virginia the year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Clay served a variety of important roles in the new republic, including representing the state of Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and serving as the U.S. Secretary of State. Clay was considered one of the most skilled orators of his generation, but also one of the most inflammatory and polarizing figures in United States political history.
In 1846, American artist Joel Hart [1810-1877] won a commission to create a statue of Clay and travelled to Italy to oversee its carving. The library’s bust of Clay is a plaster reproduction of Harts’ marble production. It was donated to the library in 1853 by Henry I. Beckwith and joined James Phalen’s earlier 1840 donation of ten busts.