Molly Pitcher

Period1987

MediumBronze

Dimensions32 × 16.5 × 19.5 in. (81.3 × 41.9 × 49.5 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineOn loan from the Childs Gallery, Boston, MA

Object numberL2009.13

DescriptionThree-dimensional statue of an aggressive, masculine female figure facing forward. She is holding a ramrod in her hands, her right foot is placed on a bronze cannon, and a water pitcher is leaning against the cannon between her feet. Her face is posed as if she is yelling. Her long hair streams out behind her as if wind blown, as does her skirt, which presses tightly to her lower body. Her sleeveless bodice has slipped off her left shoulder.
Curatorial RemarksReferred to as “the Michelangelo of America,” Donald de Lue’s sculptures emphasize lively poses, mannerist proportions, and highly articulated musculature––and his rendition of Molly Pitcher is no exception. A native of Boston, de Lue’s sculptures of national figures can found in public buildings and battlefields across America and Europe, ranging from Valley Forge and Gettysburg to Omaha Beach. His interest in the Pitcher legend began a few years after he established his studio at 82 Highland Avenue in Leonardo, New Jersey, in 1962: between 1966 and 1981, he sculpted several small models of this beloved Monmouth County idol. Six copies of the Molly Pitcher work were cast in 1987, the year before De Lue died.NotesLegend has it that when her husband was killed at his post, Molly “dropped her bucket, seized the rammer, and vowed she would fill his place at the gun,” performing her duty “with a skill and courage, which attracted the attention of all who saw her” (Edward C. Boynton, History of West Point [1871]). While many nineteenth-century artists were uncomfortable representing the concept of female heroism, this was not the case with their twentieth-century successors, among them Donald de Lue, who may have had this description in mind when he interpreted Molly as a fearsome superwoman, highlighting her physical prowess and strength of character as she strides forward to meet the enemy.

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