The Four Continents was commissioned to Daniel Chester French in 1899. Originally it was supposed to be a collaborative work with August Saint-Guadens, who turned the project down due to time constraints. French therefore took on all four sculptures; Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. Today we will tackle Asia, the sculpture at the far left of the entrance of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City. We begin with a young woman, looking serene with her eyes closed, with several things in her lap, including a small diety statue, a flower (there is some argument as to whether this is a poppy, representing the opium trade the U.S. had with Asia at the time, or whether it is a lotus flower), and a coiling snake. There is also a cross behind her, which symbolizes the beginnings of Christianity in Asia. Those creepy skulls beneath her feet represent the slave trade and labor. Think slavery has only been a problem in the U.S.? It has been prevalent everywhere. A tige...
Michael Aaron Hall, Sculpting in Bronze and Stone