Amor Caritas 1880 - 1918

Augustus Saint-Gaudens created this gilded bronze relief, "Amor Caritas," likely around 1880, during the Gilded Age in the United States. This was a period of rapid industrialization and vast wealth accumulation, but also significant social inequality. The angel embodies both love and charity, two virtues that were seen as crucial for addressing the era's social problems. Yet Saint-Gaudens was no social reformer; his sculptures often commemorated the very figures who presided over this unequal distribution of wealth and power, men like the railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. Saint-Gaudens’s work draws on earlier Renaissance art, but also responds to the specific social and cultural conditions of his time. To understand the context of this sculpture better, you could explore the writings of social critics of the time, like Henry George, or examine the records of charitable organizations that were active during the Gilded Age. "Amor Caritas" offers a glimpse into the complex relationship between art, wealth, and social responsibility in American history.