Benediction

Daniel Chester French modeled Benediction in 1922, the same year that his best-known sculpture, the seated Lincoln, was dedicated at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Benediction, executed near the end of French’s prolific career, represents the culmination of his long investigation into the motif of the winged female figure. He conceived this statuette as the central element of a proposed monument to honor Massachusetts soldiers who had died during World War I. However, the project was never executed, and in subsequent years, French engaged Roman Bronze Works to make four bronze casts.