Arno
Horatio Greenough
(American, 1805–1852)
1839
Object PlaceFlorence, Italy
Medium/TechniqueMarble
DimensionsOverall: 64.1 x 130.8 x 57.2cm (25 1/4 x 51 1/2 x 22 1/2in.)
Mount (Rolling steel base with 7/8" thick painted wooden skirts): 91.4 x 103.8 x 180 cm (36 x 40 7/8 x 70 7/8 in.)
Mount (Rolling steel base with 7/8" thick painted wooden skirts): 91.4 x 103.8 x 180 cm (36 x 40 7/8 x 70 7/8 in.)
Credit LineArthur Tracy Cabot Fund
Accession number1973.601
On View
On viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Greenough was America's first important sculptor in marble. Inspired by painter Washington Allston, whose work is displayed nearby, Greenough traveled to Italy to seek professional training. In Rome, he apprenticed with Danish master Bertel Thorwaldsen, among the era's leading Neoclassical sculptors. In 1828 Greenough's Florence studio became a center for traveling American artists, writers, and patrons. Many visitors met Greenough's beloved greyhound Arno, named after the river that runs through Florence. Greenough doubtless captured Arno's actual appearance, but the piece also recalls the realistic sculptures of dogs, popular in ancient Rome.
ProvenanceMr. Whitwell, Boston; William Sturgis, Boston; Peter Charden Brooks, Medford, Massachusetts; Edward Everett, Cambridge, Massachusetts; William Everett, Quincy, Massachusetts; John Horrigan, Quincy; Gerald Horrigan, Braintree, Massachusetts; purchased in 1973 by the Museum.
