WILLIAM ORDWAY PARTRIDGE
American, 1861-1930

Portrait Bust of Percy Bysshe Shelley (modeled 1899, cast ca. 1912)

Bronze, lost-wax cast and patinated, situated over a honed marble plinth | cast signature "Partridge / 1912", incised "ROMAN BRONZE WORKS N.Y." to edge of plate

23 5/8" H x 13" W x 7 3/8" D (base)

This impressionistic bronze bust of the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was cast in 1912 by Roman Bronze Works, New York. The form is partially realized, with expressive toolwork and rough surface textures that suggest the energy of the modeling process. The hollow, open-back sculpture is raised on a bronze plate bolted to a shaped, honed marble base. The signature, captured directly from the original wax, retains crisp, raised edges indicative of a fresh mold. The surface bears a golden-brown patina sealed under wax. The poet is captured as an introspective young man, looking into an unknown space as he is entirely lost in thought. As a poet himself, Partridge shows a deeply personal portrait of the lost dreamer inside a man, capturing the essence of a melancholy loneliness that haunts the highly individual and largely rejected thinker.

A plaster example of this portrait, executed in 1899, is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. William Ordway Partridge, accession no. 1994.73.

Condition: Well-preserved. Retaining its original surface patina. Light rubbing wear. Carefully cleaned and sealed in wax. Minor age-appropriate wear to the stone plinth. Ready to place.

Ref. 503TGI28Q

William Ordway Partridge (1861–1930)

William Ordway Partridge was an American sculptor known for his public monuments, portrait busts, and contributions to American academic sculpture at the turn of the 20th century. Born in Paris in 1861 to American parents, he was raised in New York and pursued a classical education before turning to sculpture in his early twenties.

Partridge studied in Florence, Rome, and Paris, where he trained under prominent academic sculptors and absorbed the influence of both Renaissance and Beaux-Arts traditions. He returned to the United States in the 1880s and quickly established himself with portrait commissions and idealized figurative works that reflected the neoclassical aesthetic favored in public art of the period.

Among his most notable commissions are the equestrian statue of General Ulysses S. Grant in Brooklyn’s Grant Square, the statue of Shakespeare in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and a well-regarded bronze of Alexander Hamilton at Columbia University. His portrait busts—of figures such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Richard Wagner, and Robert E. Peary—demonstrate a careful study of likeness and psychological presence, often combining formal restraint with subtle emotion.

In addition to his studio work, Partridge was a dedicated teacher and author. He lectured widely and held teaching positions at institutions such as Columbia University and the New York School of Applied Design for Women. He also published several books on art and sculpture, including Technique of Sculpture (1895) and Art for America (1894), which reflect his belief in the moral and civic function of the arts. He began having his work cast at Roman Bronze Works in New York starting in 1912 and continued to work with the foundry through 1918.

The last years of his life proved difficult, suffering through increasingly poor health and also enduring the loss of all of his plaster casts when coal was accidentally dumped on them. Partridge died in New York in 1930. His work survives in public and private collections across the country and remains an important example of the American sculptural response to European academic traditions during a formative period in national art history.

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a central figure in the English Romantic movement. Born into a wealthy Sussex family, he attended Eton and Oxford but was expelled in 1811 after publishing a pamphlet advocating atheism. He remained a lifelong critic of organized religion, monarchy, and social injustice.

Shelley’s poetry reflects his radical political views and deep idealism. His major works include Queen Mab, Alastor, Prometheus Unbound, and Adonais. He often used classical themes to challenge authority and promote reform, writing with both lyrical intensity and philosophical depth.

He eloped with Mary Godwin, later the author of Frankenstein, and spent much of his life abroad. His circle included Lord Byron and other leading literary figures of the time. Shelley drowned off the Italian coast in 1822 at age 29.

Though overlooked during his lifetime, he is now regarded as one of the most influential poets of the 19th century.