Prometheus
Prometheus is a 1934 gilded, cast bronze sculpture by Paul Manship, located above the lower plaza at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City. It was made by the Roman Bronze Works in Corona, Queens, a subsidiary of the General Bronze Corporation. Set against the west wall of the sunken plaza in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the sculpture is visible from Fifth Avenue and is part of the well-known Prometheus Fountain area. The statue depicts the Greek myth of the Titan Prometheus, who stole fire for humankind and was punished by Zeus. The sculpture is tall and weighs 8 tons.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 4.0
© InSapphoWeTrust · CC BY-SA 2.0
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1934 © Gottscho, Samuel H. · Public domain
July 2020 © Jim.henderson · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | Prometheus |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Original title | Prometeo |
Historical context | |
| Date | 1934 |
Creator | |
| Artist | Paul Manship |
| Foundry | Roman Bronze Works |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Foundry location | Corona, Queens, New York City |
| Foundry ownership | A subsidiary of the General Bronze Corporation |
| Foundry history | Roman Bronze Works had long been a subcontractor to Louis Comfort Tiffany's Tiffany Studios; Tiffany Studios was bought out by the General Bronze Corporation in 1928 |
| Associated artists at General Bronze | Paul Manship, René Chambellan, Gaston Lachaise, and Lee Lawrie |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height | 5.5 m |
| Weight | 8 tons |
Materials | |
| Restoration finish | Regilded in 2025 |
| Material | Bronze |
| Finish | Gilded |
Location and ownership | |
| Current location | Lower Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, New York City |
| Placement | Set in a fountain basin in front of a gray granite wall, against the west wall of the sunken plaza in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (formerly the RCA Building) |
| Visibility | Visible from Fifth Avenue |
| Associated feature | Prometheus Fountain |
| Associated features | Restaurants and an ice skating rink in winter |
| Maquette locations | Smithsonian American Art Museum; Minnesota Museum of Art; two in private collections |
| Current state of original flanking positions | Their original ledges are now covered by plants |
| Flanking sculptures | Youth and Maiden (the 'Mankind Figures'), also by Manship |
| Original placement of flanking sculptures | Originally placed on granite ledges behind the main sculpture |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Depicted action | He brought fire to humanity by stealing it from the Chariot of the Sun |
| Depicted figure | Prometheus, son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene |
| Mythological consequence | Zeus chained Prometheus and sent an eagle to prey on his continually regenerating liver |
| Subject | The Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus |
Appearance | |
| Composition | Prometheus falls through a ring representing the heavens toward the earth and the sea |
| Inscription | On the granite wall behind the sculpture: 'Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.' |
| Pose | Recumbent, semi-reclining figure |
| Decorative motif | A ring around Prometheus inscribed with the signs of the zodiac on its inner side; the earth is represented by the mountain and the sea by the pool |
Significance | |
| Artistic importance | Considered the main work of art at Rockefeller Center and one of the complex's best-known works |
| Seasonal use | A Christmas tree is installed above the statue every winter |
| Year-round role | Serves as the main aesthetic attraction in the Lower Plaza outdoor restaurant during the rest of the year |
History and restoration | |
| Model for original small-scale rendering | Ray Van Cleef |
| Replica | A full-scale replica existed at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town in Jakarta, recreated by Legacy Entertainment in the Entertainment District's Fountain Atrium |
| Maquettes | Four maquettes exist |
| Relocation history of flanking sculptures | Moved to Palazzo d'Italia from 1939 to 1984 because Manship felt they did not visually fit; moved to the stairway above the skating rink in 2001, as if they were 'announcing Prometheus' |
| Hair sculpting | Henry Kreis sculpted the hair |
| Assistant work | Angelo Colombo did most of the detail work while Nole was posing |
| Modeling period | Spring 1933, for three months |
| Model for full-scale sculpture | Leonardo Nole (died 1998), an Italian-American lifeguard from New Rochelle; after World War II he became a postal worker |
| Replica removal | Removed in late 2019 בגלל a new LED screen display |