America / c. 1910–16
Turtle Baby
Turtle Baby
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Turtle Baby as sculpture (America · c. 1910–16).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
Parsons created similar sculptures featuring young girls and boys with ducks, frogs, and fish.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze and credits Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons (American, 1878–1956).
The museum's collection notes: Parsons achieved renown through her garden sculptures of young children accompanied by animals, which one commentator praised for capturing “the happiness of just being alive.” In Turtle Baby , her most famous composition, the figure of the girl was modeled after her daughter. Conceived as a fountain, the sculpture has internal water conduits exiting the mouths of the four turtles circling its base.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtTurtle BabyOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.