Herbert Haseltine
Encyclopedia
Herbert Chevalier Haseltine (1877–1962) was an Italian
-born French
/American
animalier
sculptor
, most known as an Equestrian sculptor.
, the son of the wealthy American
landscape painter William Stanley Haseltine
(1835–1900) who was associated with the Hudson River School
and Luminism
, he studied at Harvard University
. After graduating in 1899, Haseltine went to Munich Academy in Germany
to study drawing and then to the Académie Julian
in Paris, France where he studied painting.
Haseltine sculpted a variety of animals but is best known for his equestrian sculptures, most notably the 1934 life-size statue of the thoroughbred
race horse Man o' War
at the Kentucky Horse Park
in Lexington, Kentucky
and "George Washington on Horseback", Gilded bronze
statue at the Washington National Cathedral
made in 1959. He also traveled to India, where he made an oversized statue of one of the ancestors of the Maharaja
of Nawanagar
, Jam Shri Rawalji in 1933. It can still be seen there. He replicated many of his large works in table-top sizes. The author of a number of books on animalier art, Haseltine was well connected in American upper class
society and did a three-year project to create a work for heiress Barbara Hutton
. This project included two horses heads which were gilded bronze, with precious and semi precious stones. After her death the heads disappeared and resurfaced a few years ago at an auction in New York.
Herbert Haseltine died in Paris, in 1962.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
/American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animalier
Animalier
An animalier is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists...
sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, most known as an Equestrian sculptor.
Early life and education
Born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the son of the wealthy American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
landscape painter William Stanley Haseltine
William Stanley Haseltine
William Stanley Haseltine was an American painter and draftsman who was associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting, the Hudson River School and Luminism.-Early life and education:...
(1835–1900) who was associated with the Hudson River School
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
and Luminism
Luminism (American art style)
Luminism is an American landscape painting style of the 1850s – 1870s, characterized by effects of light in landscapes, through using aerial perspective, and concealing visible brushstrokes...
, he studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. After graduating in 1899, Haseltine went to Munich Academy in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to study drawing and then to the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris, France where he studied painting.
Career
After his first piece of sculpture met with success, he pursued that artistic avenue. Inspired by the gathering of artists from around the world to the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, Haseltine chose to make Paris his home for the next thity-five years until the German occupation of France during World War II. He moved to the United States where he remained until 1947 at which time he returned to France.Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse Man o' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
at the Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
and "George Washington on Horseback", Gilded bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue at the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
made in 1959. He also traveled to India, where he made an oversized statue of one of the ancestors of the Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Nawanagar
Nawanagar
Navanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it succeed to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population...
, Jam Shri Rawalji in 1933. It can still be seen there. He replicated many of his large works in table-top sizes. The author of a number of books on animalier art, Haseltine was well connected in American upper class
American upper class
See: millionaire for more details-Millionaires:See also: MillionairesHouseholds with net worths of $1 million or more may be identified as members of the upper-most socio-economic demographic, depending on the class model used...
society and did a three-year project to create a work for heiress Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
. This project included two horses heads which were gilded bronze, with precious and semi precious stones. After her death the heads disappeared and resurfaced a few years ago at an auction in New York.
Personal life
During the time he lived in Paris at the Impasse Raffet (XVIeme Quartier) near the Rue Jasmin, he led a very colourful life. He entertained a lot of guests in his beautiful house, which was once depicted in the French Magazine "Maison & Jardin". Amongst his guests were Arthur Rubinstein, Cary Grant, Teddy Roosevelt jr and Charles Lindbergh. He also had a lot of contacts to highest Russian Royalty. His wife, the former Madeleine Keith, was born in England and died in 1979 in Paris. The house was subsequently sold to the owner of Paris Match. His daughter Helen Heather Haseltine married an Austrian Count by the name of Paul Toggenburg, her descendents live in Italy and Austria now. By his son, Marshall, he has two grandchildren, of which one, Carla, is a well-respected sculptress in her own right.Herbert Haseltine died in Paris, in 1962.
Further reading
- Champion animals: sculptures by Herbert Haseltine. Malcolm Cormack, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1996. ISBN 0917046439.
- Man O'War and me: the memoirs of Herbert Haseltine, by Herbert Haseltine, Will Harbut. Ed. Rachel V. Berry. Kentucky Horse Park, 1981.
External links
- Works of Herbert Haseltine atArtnetArtnetartnet is an online service provider for the international art market with headquarters in New York, Berlin and Paris. Additionally, artnet has regional offices in China, the UK and Russia.- Business model :...