Fisher Boy

Hiram Powers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Powers modeled this sculpture in Florence, Italy, where he earned an international reputation for his idealized subjects. In calling his only male nude "a kind of Appollino," he referred to ancient Greek depictions of the god Apollo as the epitome of youth. However, the longtime expatriate sculptor insisted on presenting a modern subject: a young fisherman uses a conch shell to listen for warnings of inclement weather, with net and tiller at his side. Powers skillfully developed an enthusiastic American patronage base. New York politician Hamilton Fish purchased seven works from the artist, including, while in Florence, this Fisher Boy carving.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art