Literature:
Wayne Craven, Sculpture in America, Cranbury, New Jersey, 1968, pp. 384-85, another example referenced
Beatrice Gilman Proske, Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, 1968, pp. 9-11, another example illustrated
Tom Armstrong, et al., 200 Years of American Sculpture, New York, 1976, pl. 18, pp. 51, 81, another example illustrated
John H. Dryfhout, The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, pp. 162-66, other examples illustrated
Marilyn Evert, Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture, Pittsburgh, 1983, pp. 293-94, another example illustrated
Kathryn Greenthal, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master Sculptor, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1985, p. 174, another example illustrated
Kathryn Greenthal, et al., American Figurative Sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, 1986, no. 74, pp. 238-42, another example illustrated
Mary Anne Goley, Burke Wilkinson, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor, From the Collection of the Saint-Gaudens Historic Site, exhibition catalogue, Washington, DC, 1992, no. 24, pp. IV, VIII, another example illustrated
Thayer Tolles, ed., American Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, vol. I, New York, 1999, no. 123, pp. 285-88, another example illustrated
Henry J. Duffy, John H. Dryfhout, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age, exhibition catalogue, Washington, DC, 2003, no. 39, p. 75, another example illustrated

Recognized as one of America's foremost artists of the late 19th century, Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the preeminent sculptor of the Beaux Art style. Born in 1848 in Dublin, Saint-Gaudens moved to New York City with his family as an infant. After studying art at the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design, he went to Italy and France, where he had rigorous training that included model classical subjects from plaster casts. In 1875, he returned to New York and became part of a team of artists who did decoration in Boston for Trinity Church, designed by H.H. Richardson. He rose to fame in 1881, with his first major monument to the Civil War, that of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, which was erected in New York’s Madison Square Park. The artist’s combination of realism and allegory caused his fame to grow, with other commissions quickly forthcoming for portrait and public monumental sculpture. By the turn of the century, his public monuments graced several major cities, and his masterful portrait reliefs were sought after by wealthy patrons. 

In 1886, Saint-Gaudens was hired to sculpt a monumental statue for Stearns Square in Springfield, Massachusetts. Titled The Puritan, the original work was commissioned by Chester W. Chapin to pay homage to his ancestor, Deacon Samuel Chapin, a founding member of the city. Although there was no visual record of Deacon Chapin, his descendants worked closely with the artist to ensure accuracy in the figure’s dress and appearance. The stalwart deacon strides confidently forward with walking stick in his right hand and a hefty Bible firmly under his left arm, embodying perseverance, resilience, and moral fortitude. The statue was unveiled on Thanksgiving Day 1887 and emphasizes the importance of the settler origin stories of the 19th century New England community and the all-important makings of an early American settler. 

The original sculpture of The Puritan proved to be so successful, in 1894 Saint-Gaudens elected to make reductions for private sale. The present work is likely one of more than 40 documented examples made by the artist. In each sculpture, Saint-Gaudens made minor alterations to the figure, including varying the angles of the hat and the walking stick, as well as changes to the applied patina. Other casts are included in collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, DC.