Justice
Giuseppe Ceracchi, Alexander Hamilton, 1794, marble, 25 x 12 x 14 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.23.
Additional Resources
Blog - Satisfied: Giuseppe Ceracchi's Bust of Alexander Hamilton
Giuseppe Ceracchi
Alexander Hamilton
- How can statues tell stories? What might you infer about the person for whom this statue is modeled?
In this bust, Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi depicted founding father Alexander Hamilton as a Roman statesman with a classical profile and strong nose. While Hamilton has garnered recent attention as the star of an award-winning Broadway musical, in the late eighteenth century, his guise as a Roman statesman was a costume of a different sort. The white marble neoclassical sculpture drew connections between the new American republic, the ancient democracies of Greece, and the republican values of Rome.
- What does Alexander Hamilton symbolize today? To what extent should the private life of a public figure be considered (judged) when evaluating his or her legacy?
- What is the effect of connecting leaders of the Ancient Roman Republic and the founding leaders of the U.S.?
Content Contributors
Exhibition sponsored by Kenneth C. Griffin
Learning and engagement programming for
We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy is sponsored by:
Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation | Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates, & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. | Johnny and Jeanie Morris, Bass Pro Shops | Alturas Foundation | Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc. | Sotheby’s | Bob and Becky Alexander | Marybeth and Micky Mayfield | Lamar and Shari Steiger | Jeff and Sarah Teague / Citizens Bank | Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities | Avis and Bill Bailey | Scarlett and Neff Basore | June Carter Family | Terri and Chuck Erwin | Jackye and Curtis Finch | The Harrison and Rhonda French Family | Jim and Susan von Gremp | Laurice Hachem | Shannon and Charles Holley | Valorie and Randy Lawson / Lawco Energy Group | Donna and Mack McLarty | Steve and Susan Nelson | Neal and Gina Pendergraft | Helen Porter | JT and Imelda Rose | Lee and Linda Scott | Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Catherine and Michael Mayton, Trustees | William Reese Company
