Houston  

Sundial: 863
State/Province:  Texas Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Armillary Sphere Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 40° 23.940' N  79° 59.454' W
Location:
  • Houston Museum of Fine Arts
    The Audrey Jones Beck Building
    110 Glassell Sculpture Court

    The latitude & longitude given are for the Charles Schwab house in North Braddock, PA for which Manship designed the sundial
 
Description:
  • The armillary sundial is part of the statue Hercules Upholding the Heavens. The statue portrays the ancient Greek hero Hercules performing the eleventh of his twelve labors, holding the heavens on his back for Atlas. The bronze sculpture is 1,650 pounds and over 10 feet tall. In 1917 Paul Manship was asked by Charles Schwab (Bethlehem Steel) to create this sculpture for his garden at his newly completed mansion.

    According to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Manship "first sculpted the form from easily workable wax, which he then covered with a mold made from clay and plaster. Next, he heated the mold, so that the wax underneath melted, leaving a hollow shell. Molten bronze was then poured into this shell and allowed cool. When the clay and plaster shell was removed, Manship was left with a bronze version of his original wax sculpture."
 
General Information:
  • Owner: Houston Museum of Fine Arts
  • Designer: Paul Manship
  • Builder: Paul Manship
  • Construction Date: 1917
 

Last Revised: 2017-05-26 16:17