Winter
William Rush
1 of 2
Object Label
This statue of a shivering child personifies the winter season and was once part of an outdoor decorative scheme for an icehouse on a Philadelphia estate.
Like many solid wood sculptures, it exhibits radial cracking, most notably on the back. This type of cracking runs perpendicular to the tree’s growth rings. It occurs because wood can absorb and lose moisture, and has distinct physical properties along its different planes of direction. As relative humidity or the amount of moisture in the air changes, the wood will expand and contract differently in these directions, leading to a buildup of stresses in the wood and eventual cracking.
Like many solid wood sculptures, it exhibits radial cracking, most notably on the back. This type of cracking runs perpendicular to the tree’s growth rings. It occurs because wood can absorb and lose moisture, and has distinct physical properties along its different planes of direction. As relative humidity or the amount of moisture in the air changes, the wood will expand and contract differently in these directions, leading to a buildup of stresses in the wood and eventual cracking.
Caption
William Rush (American, 1756–1833). Winter, 1810. Pine, 28 1/16 x 21 x 9in. (71.3 x 53.3 x 22.9cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund , 42.242. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Winter
Date
1810
Medium
Pine
Classification
Dimensions
28 1/16 x 21 x 9in. (71.3 x 53.3 x 22.9cm)
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
42.242
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