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California

California is a mid-19th-century marble sculpture by the American sculptor Hiram Powers. The statue is an allegory of California’s wealth and danger, created in response to the ongoing California Gold Rush. Powers began working on it in 1850 and had completed a plaster model by 1855; the carving was finished in 1858. Although it was originally intended for Sutter’s Mill, the sculpture was ultimately finished for New York businessman William Backhouse Astor Sr. In 1872, Astor donated it to the newly established Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it became the first sculpture by an American artist in the museum’s collection.

Marble statue of a nude woman standing on a round base and holding a looped rope.
California, a marble statue of a nude woman holding a looped rope.
© · CC0
California, a white marble bust of a woman with classical hair and a serene expression on a pedestal.
California by Hiram Powers, shown as a white marble bust on display at the de Young Museum.
January 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
California, a white marble bust of a woman with short hair and bare shoulders on a pedestal
California by Hiram Powers, a white marble bust displayed on a pedestal.
November 2013 © · CC0
Marble bust of a woman titled California.
California, a marble bust by Hiram Powers.
March 2012 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Rear view of California by Hiram Powers, showing the marble bust from behind with a detailed braided ponytail.
Back view of California, a marble sculpture by Hiram Powers, on display at the De Young Museum.
January 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleCalifornia
TypeSculpture

Historical context

Date created1858
PeriodMid-19th century
Associated eventCalifornia Gold Rush
Artistic styleNeoclassical
Artistic conventionFemale nude sculptures used as allegories of places were a predominant mid-19th-century artistic trend
Work begun1850
Plaster model completed1855
Carving completed1858

Creator

ArtistHiram Powers
Artist nationalityAmerican
Related workThe Greek Slave

Discovery and provenance

Donated in1872
Donated toMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Reason for original locationThe site where gold flakes were found in early 1848, which sparked the California Gold Rush
Completion circumstancesFinished on commission for William Backhouse Astor Sr. rather than being sent to California as originally planned
Original intended locationSutter's Mill, California
Commissioned byWilliam Backhouse Astor Sr.

Location and ownership

Current locationMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Display statusCurrently exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Museum significanceFirst sculpture by an American artist to enter the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection

Physical characteristics

SubjectAn allegory of California and the California Gold Rush
Depicted figureA young woman
Pose and compositionThe figure stands upright, completely nude, holding a divining rod crossed in front of her body in her left hand and a thorn-covered branch in her right hand; a quartz column stands behind her to the back-right
MaterialMarble
Secondary material depictedQuartz
Divining rod symbolismA tool purportedly able to detect gold deposits
Symbolism of held objectsThey represent the apparent opportunity and hidden dangers of pursuing California
Quartz symbolismIt symbolizes California's mineral wealth, especially the association of gold with quartz deposits

Significance

Artist's statusPowers was already famous for The Greek Slave