Diana

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

From its lofty perch on Madison Square Garden’s tower, the resplendent gilded Diana enjoyed iconic status on the New York City skyline from 1892 to 1925. Saint-Gaudens capitalized on its fame by issuing three variant reductions; in this second version, the lithe goddess, about to release her arrow, is poised atop a full orb on a two-tiered base (a monumental version is on view in the Charles Engelhard Court of the American Wing; acc. no. 28.101). The lustrous patina was achieved by electro-plating a mixture of gold, copper, and zinc to the bronze surface.

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