The Bowman and the Spearman - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 52.530 W 087° 37.410
16T E 448262 N 4636140
Two nude Indian warriors astride massive horses face each other to create a dramatic frame for the Buckingham Fountain.
Waymark Code: WMWHWF
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/08/2017
Views: 4
More from the Smithsonian: "One horseman prepares to throw his spear and the other bends back his bow. The bow and spear are not actually present, they are left to the viewer to imagine.
Commissioned by the B. F. Ferguson Monument Fund to commemorate the Native American. Plaster models of the Indians were designed in 1926 when the artist came to Chicago to attend an exhibition of his work. The pieces were cast in Yugoslavia in 1927. Architects, Holabird and Roche's original plan placed the sculptures at the top of a grand stairway facing each other across an esplanade leading into Grant Park; when Congress Parkway was extended the figures were placed on tall pedestals separated by a busy thoroughfare. The Chicago Park District Monument and Sculpture Photographic Archives contain photographs of the original and current settings of the sculptures. The Chicago Park District Monument and Sculpture Preservation Files contain miscellaneous correspondence, news articles, and conservation treatment reports with slide documentation. The 1992 SOS survey questionnaire notes that the B. F. Ferguson Monument Fund restored the sculptures in the 1980s.
Dimensions: 2 parts. Each sculpture: approx. 22 x 18 x 8 ft.; Each base: approx. 12 x 18 x 8 ft.
Inscription: (On the east side of each base:) ERECTED/BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE/B. F. FERGUSON MONUMENT FUND/MCMXXVIII (On bronze plaques located on the back side of each base:) IVAN MESTROVIC/SCULPTOR (East side, lower right corner:) IVAN MESTROVIC SCULPTOR signed"
From Bach's "A Guide to Chicago's Public Sculpture": "Details such as musculature, headdresses and horses have been boldly simplified, suggesting Archaic Greek sculpture. The setting as silhouettes against the sky makes them among the most dramatic monuments in Chicago. Also known as The Indians, they have been regarded as the finest monumental work by Yugoslavian Ivan Mestrovich."
From an article in the Chicago Tribune: "Why The Indians hold no weapons: "The first sketches and first models Mestrovic made included a real bow and arrow," said Bart Ryckbosch, an archivist at the Art Institute. "But he cut them off once he started working on his full-scale models. He wanted to put more emphasis on the beauty of the human body than on the weaponry."
The two statues are a bit challenging to photograph comprehensively and require some planning given locations on islands in between busy streets. You have to shoot both closeups on the islands as well as from across the streets.
TITLE: The Bowman and the Spearman
ARTIST(S): Mestrovic, Ivan, 1883-1962, sculptor. Unknown (Yugoslavia), founder. Holabird & Roche, architectural firm.
DATE: Designed 1926. Cast 1927. Dedicated Oct. 1928.
MEDIUM: Designed 1926. Cast 1927. Dedicated Oct. 1928.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 75004308
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Located Grant Park, Michigan Avenue at Congress Parkway, Chicago, Illinois, on islands in the street intersections. Parking would be in local garages.
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
none
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.