Nelly Conway Madison

In 1819, Italian émigré sculptor Pietro Cardelli visited Montpelier to craft a commissioned bust of former president Madison. On this visit, he also sculpted a plaster medallion portrait of Madison’s 88 year-old mother, Nelly Conway Madison. Like several other Madison pieces, this bas relief descended through the family of James McGuire, the executer of Dolley Madison’s estate. Cardelli was regarded for his intricate plaster craftsmanship, particularly in busts of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. He also worked on the ornamentation for the United States Capitol when it was reconstructed after British troops burned it in the War of 1812.