The Bronze

male figure seated at loom

Female figure in center

The sculpture itself consists of three slightly larger than life-size figures who stand almost completely apart from the back wall of the sculpture.
At the left, a youthful and muscular male weaver, seen in side view, sits before an upright loom, at work on a piece of fabric. He wears only a thin belt. A blanket modestly covers his right thigh and part of the bench where he is seated, draping over the front edge of the sculpture. His arms reach out in front of him, fingers poised to advance the progress of his weaving.
The fabric depicted on the loom contains a design of scallop shells, (a Hazard family symbol), and doves, (a Peace family symbol). Other fabrics in the sculpture have no pattern.
In the center, representing Life (the daughter of Time, as explained at the dedication), we see a female figure also in side view, facing the same direction as the weaver. Nearly 7’ tall and barefoot, she wears a gauzy sleeveless empire-waisted garment that drapes over her body. She carries on her right shoulder another piece of fabric the same length as the dress. The form of her left leg, bent to suggest motion, is revealed through a layer of gauze. Her right hand and arm are outstretched, guiding a thread towards the weaver. In her left hand, she holds a tool called a distaff that is loaded with a supply of unspun fibers. Just prior to the moment captured in the sculpture, she has presumably spun some of them into the thread she is delivering.
To her right stands a hooded, robed elderly female figure holding an hourglass and representing Time, her age indicated by her fingers' distinct boniness. Almost no distance separates her from the central figure. She faces mostly forward, but her head and attention incline lovingly and maternally toward the others. She cradles the hourglass near her heart with reverence, suggesting its equal importance in the weaving process to that of the thread and the loom.
The bronze measures 7 feet high, 9 feet wide and 1 foot deep. It rests about 25 inches above the ground on a stepped stone base, and is set into a stone housing with 14” margins on each side and at the top. The piece directly beneath the sculpture is 41” deep.
“D C French So 1919” appears at the lower right corner.
French would have created the design in a pliable medium such as clay. An assistant would build the underlying structure, or armature, and put the clay on for him. French would then model it, a process that could take several weeks. When it was complete, French would solicit bids from foundries to cast it in bronze, and ship the piece to the one he chose.
“Roman Bronze Works” appears near the lower left corner. This New York-based fine-arts foundry worked with many noted American sculptors during the first half of the 20^th century.

Jessica Wilson