Profile Bust of George Washington 1835 - 1855

This wax portrait of George Washington was made by Robert Ball Hughes sometime in the mid-19th century. The artist has taken a humble material, wax, and used it to capture the likeness of a national hero. The milky, pale tonality of the wax gives the artwork a ghostly appearance, almost as if Washington is rendered as a memory. Wax is a medium that allows for detailed modeling, and you can see the fine tooling that has been used to articulate Washington's features, the set of his jaw, the curl of his hair. This wasn't just about representing a man; it was a performance of skill. Consider the labor involved in this piece: the careful melting and molding of the wax, the precision of the carving, and the dark backing material, providing contrast. These acts of making elevate the work beyond a mere portrait, and bring to light its cultural significance. It blurs the boundary between craft and fine art.