Collection
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American Art

Polyxena

William Wetmore Story

1 of 2

Object Label

In the middle of the nineteenth century, William Wetmore Story was the leading U.S. sculptor in Rome, internationally renowned for works inspired by classical literature, history, and mythology. This sculpture, taking on the subject of Polyxena, the youngest daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, was typical of Story’s work.

According to Greek myth, Achilles fell in love with Polyxena and was offered her hand in marriage in exchange for ending the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. After Achilles was killed by Polyxena’s brother, his ghost vengefully demanded that she be sacrificed. Here she sits solemnly waiting to die.

Caption

William Wetmore Story (American, 1819–1895). Polyxena, 1873. Marble, statue: 54 1/2 x 24 x 44 1/2 in., 1303 lb. (138.4 x 61 x 113 cm, 591.04kg) base: 31 x 23 x 44 in., 1701 lb. (78.7 x 58.4 x 111.8 cm, 771.57kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of George Freifeld, 05.240. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

Polyxena

Date

1873

Medium

Marble

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

statue: 54 1/2 x 24 x 44 1/2 in., 1303 lb. (138.4 x 61 x 113 cm, 591.04kg) base: 31 x 23 x 44 in., 1701 lb. (78.7 x 58.4 x 111.8 cm, 771.57kg)

Signatures

Unsigned

Inscriptions

Painted in black on front of base: "POLYXENA. / By / W. W. STORY."

Credit Line

Gift of George Freifeld

Accession Number

05.240

Frequent Art Questions

  • Are there characteristic differences between American neoclassical sculpture and European neoclassical sculpture of the same period?

    Hello! American Neoclassical sculpture occurred a little later than the European style. Many American sculptors trained and had their studios overseas, often in Italy, where marble quarries were easily accessible. They visited museums in cities like Rome and Florence and studied classical sculpture, Renaissance and Baroque sculpture, and more recent Neoclassical sculpture.
    It can actually be hard to spot the differences between Neoclassical sculptures by European artists and American artists living in Europe, since they were all inspired by the same tradition!

  • Do we know how her toes broke?

    We don't have any information on how exactly her toes became broken, but it is similar to the situation with ancient sculpture---the small, delicate parts that project far from the rest of the sculpture are often the first to get damaged when the sculpture is moved or from things or people bump into it.

Have information?

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Artists and makers

William Wetmore Story

1 work in the collection