by Joan K. Yanni
(Portions of the following are taken from an
article by Curatorial Assistant Marie Via, written for the Averell council
newsletter. Further information about the artist has been added.)
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| Memory |
The hooded marble figure
titled Memory (13.12) has been an imposing presence in the
upper galleries for over 75 years. Gallery founder Emily Sibley Watson
commissioned William Ordway Partridge to create the figure in remembrance of
her son by a previous marriage, James G. Averell. Partridge also
sculpted, from a photograph of the young man, the bas-relief plaque set into
the marble pedestal above the epitaph that reads: "James G. Averell
(1877-1904). He loved life, beauty and honor. His mother dedicates
this building to his memory."
Due to Partridge's
extended illness during the summer of 1913, work on the sculpture lagged behind
schedule. When it became clear thatMemory would not be finished in time for the Gallery's
gala opening in October, a plaster copy was created for the occasion. The
completed marble version was installed later that year.
James Averell was born
in Rochester in 1877. When he graduated from Harvard in 1899, he decided
to pursue the study of architecture. Like so many well-to-do men of his
generation, he embarked upon a tour of Europe, immersing himself in the art and
architecture of other cultures. He continued his studies at Harvard and in the
spring of 1904 joined the firm of Herbert D. Hale in Boston. Tragically,
he succumbed to typhoid fever a few months later, leaving behind a more
striking reputation as a sportsman (he belonged to five hunt and polo clubs at
the time of his death) than as an architect.
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