Leander

With flawless features, balanced posture, and perfect proportions, this figure by William Henry Rinehart is one of the finest male nudes in American marble sculpture. Mythological stories like that of Leander and his lover Hero (86.512) demanded that artists become masters of human anatomy and classical ideals of beauty. Many American painters and sculptors found this training in the galleries and academies of Italy, where they could admire ancient statues and the work of Renaissance masters. The similarities between Rinehart’s Leander and Michelangelo’s David are no coincidence.

86.513