Boy and Turtle
“Boy and Turtle” succinctly demonstrates Crenier’s adherence to Beaux-Arts sculptural principles in the animated post of the nude and the expressive treatment of the bronze surface. The boy’s unbalanced stance and splayed fingers and toes reveal a momentary sense of surprise as he and his small foe confront one another. Crenier’s younger son, Guy, recalled that when his older brother, Pierre, then twelve, posed for the piece, the sculptor placed a box under the boy’s foot to allow him to maintain the spontaneous-seeming position. Modeled and cast in 1912, “Boy and Turtle” was conceived as a demonstration fountain with the hope of attracting a commission for a full-scale garden piece. A piping system under the base enables a small jet of water to spray upward from the turtle’s mouth. A lifesize bronze cast was later ordered by the Municipal Art Society of Baltimore and donated to the city; it was installed as a fountain in Mount Vernon Place in 1924.
Artwork Details
- Title: Boy and Turtle
- Artist: Henri Crenier (American (born France), Paris 1873–1948 New York)
- Founder: Cast by Roman Bronze Works
- Date: 1912
- Culture: American
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: 19 3/4 x 11 x 11 in. (50.2 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Amelia B. Lazarus Fund, 1913
- Object Number: 13.87
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Louis C. Tiffany
Tiffany Studios
1904–15
Leslie Garland Bolling
1936
Frank Lloyd Wright
1912
Daniel Müller
D.C. Müller & Bro.
ca. 1917
Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony
ca. 1904
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.