Sculptures in the Archives
The galleries of the Elisabet Ney Museum are home to some of Ney's most pivotal and impressive works. Visitors of all ages have enjoyed strolling through the studio home since the museum's inception, and each piece of art reveals something new about the famous sculptor.
But the sculptures on display are not the extent of the museum's collections.
In the archives of the museum, which few have had opportunity to explore, one can find incredible treasures. Many of the pieces in the archives are study models or maquettes of larger sculptures living in the galleries above, including Lady Macbeth and Stephen Fuller Austin.
Gallery
Scroll through the gallery of sculptures below, and click on the image if you want to learn more information about the object or want to see more photographs.
On the next page of this exhibit, you will be able to view Textiles and Artifacts also found within the Elisabet Ney Museum's archives.
Small plaster figure of St. Sebastian, figure, plaster, 1857. Small plaster figure of St Sebastian. Figure with long hair and no facial hair, holding an arrow at his breast in his left hand. Wearing a robe that exposes his right shoulder.
Lady MacBeth, Study Model, plaster, 1902. Maquette of full-scale version of Lady MacBeth. Standing 9 inches tall. A gift from Elisabet Ney to Mrs. Dibrell. In later years, Mrs. Dibrell would donate the piece to the museum.
Stephen Fuller Austin (wearing buckskin), Study Model, plaster. Maquette of Stephen F. Austin full-figure. Dimensions: 19x5x7 inches.
Miniature Bust of Lady Marian Alford, bust, plaster, 1865. Small plaster bust of a woman with feathered hat, wearing a button up dress with overcoat. Study for a marble bust of the same sitter, now unlocated. Dimensions 9x6x4 inches.
Study for the Figure of Walter von Plattenberg, Study figure, plaster, 1861. Plaster maquette of Walter von Plattenberg holding a sword and wearing medieval attire. Dimensions 18.5x6.25x6 inches.
Study for Statue of Englebert Von der Mark, figure, plaster, 1862. Small plaster figure of Engerbert Von der Mark holding a sword. Dimensions 19x7.5x6.5 inches.
Bride Neill Taylor, Portrait Medallion, Plaster, 1897. Bride Neill Taylor was known to be Ney's agent and close friend who wrote the first biography of Ney. Her husband, Tom Taylor, was Ney's business manager. There is no known marble version of this object. Dimensions: 8 inches in diameter. Inscription: Elisabet Ney fec. Austin, Texas
Unknown Young Woman, Portrait Medallion, Plaster, 1896. Low relief circular medallion depicting an unknown woman with her hair pulled into a bun and curling bangs. The work is very simple and unadorned. Diameter 7 inches. Inscription on right outer edge: Elisabet Ney fec 1896
Paula Ebers, Portrait Medallion, Plaster, 1896. Square relief plaque with profile portrait of Paula Ebers in a circular medallion. Her wavy hair is pulled back, she is facing to her proper left. Leaf-like decoration along the lower edge of the rondel, from about 4 o'clock to 9 o'clock. The work is cracked at the top left and right corners, extending to the top of the figure's head. Dimensions 22x20x2.5 inches.
Margaret Runge Rose, Portrait Medallion, Plaster, 1897. Circular medallion depicting a young girl with long hair in profile, looking to her left. She is wearing a gown with a square neckline with a braided edging. The medallion is slightly discolored and has some illegible writing/marks on the back. Inscription on outer edge: Elisabet Ney fec 1897 Galveston, Tex
Statuette of a Draped Figure, Maquette, plaster, n.d. Maquette of a draped female figure, kneeling with arms folded. Head and right hand broken. Dimensions 7.75x3.75x3 inches.
Statuette of an Amazon, Maquette, Plaster, circa 1856. Statuette of a crowned female figure with flowing drapery, and exposed breasts. On a square base. Legs have been broken, exposing the metal armature underneath. Arms are also missing. Dimensions 15.5x 4.5x6.5 inches.
Daughter of Unknown Berlin Friend, Relief Portrait, Plaster, 1896. Plaster relief of young girl, in rondel inside a square. Girl wearing hair pulled back, round neck gown, looking toward proper left. Profile view with face in high relief, vines or branches at bottom edge of rondel, half in circle and half out. Said to be the daughter of a friend in Berlin.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, Portrait bust, Plaster, 1865. Giuseppe Garibaldi, plaster bust, herm style, unclothed. Broken in 1952 and reassembled. Executed from life in Caprera.
Death Mask of Dr. William Lambdin Prather, 1906. Death Cast of William Prather. Man with closed eyes, full moustache and beard. Mask includes the face, ears, and neck, going down to the clavicle. Ney had enlisted Italian stoncutter, Cosimo Docchi, to work for her on the Lady Macbeth piece. She asked him (and Max Bickler, one of the Bickler sons) to create the death mask.
Life Mask of Unknown Person (Study for Statue of Lady Macbeth), 1902. Cast of face and neck of unknown person, eyes closed. Used as a study aid for the creation of Lady Macbeth.
Life Cast of Elisabet Ney (Head and Shoulders), 1865. Life cast of Elisabet Ney's head and shoulders with eyes clsoed and cloth over the hairline. The nose has been chipped off.
Death Mask of Dr. Jacob Bickler, 1902. Death cast of Dr Jacob Bickler. Jacob Bickler (1849–1902) was a scholar, educator and president of the Texas State Teacher's Association. He was founder of the Boys' Texas German and English Academy and the co-educational Bickler Academy, both located in Austin, Texas.
Reagan Ear Cast, 1895. Reagan's left ear cast with Reagan's name on the edge. Rutland reports that Ney was asked to visit Reagan in his office to cast his ear. In making the mold she was reported to have also caught some of his hair in the mold. When she pulled the cast from his skin it pulled the hair, resulting in him swearing in pain. Ney would later, as Rutland reports, place his bust in the Rogues Gallery because of this outburst.
Elisabet Ney, life cast mask, 1862. Cast of Elisabet Ney's face from 1862. Lifecast of Ney's face done by someone other than herself.
Carrie Pease Graham (1851-1882), Plaster, modeled 1895. Ney befriended Lucadia Pease, the widow of governor Elisha Pease, shortly after arriving in Austin. The Peases owned a large estate, Woodlawn, located west of Shoal Creek. Ney often visited Woodlawn and became close to the Pease grandchildren. This bust was commissioned to memorialize Pease’s deceased daughter, Carrie.
Steiner Burleson (1892-1899), Plaster, 1899. Finished marble on display in Texas Room.
Elisabet Ney, Self-Portrait Bust, plaster, 1903. Plaster self-portrait bust. Study for the marble bust carved in 1903.
Francis R. Lubbock, plaster, modeled 1895. Francis Lubbock moved to Houston, Texas, in 1837. After managing a general store and working as a rancher, Lubbock entered a career in politics. He was elected governor of Texas in 1861 and later served as a lieutenant colonel and a treasurer of the state of Texas.
Joseph Dibrell, marble bust, circa 1901. Joseph Dibrell, a Texas lawyer and politician, and his wife, Ella Dancy Dibrell, were good friends and supporters of Elisabet Ney. Following Ney's death in 1907, the Dibrells purchased the sculptor's Austin studio, Formosa, to preserve her legacy.