Modeled 1874; carved 1875-1881

The Lost Pleiad

American, 1825 - 1892

The Lost Pleiad personifies one of seven sister stars described by the Roman poet Ovid in his poem Fasti. Her brightness dimmed by the shame of marrying a mortal, the Pleiad anxiously searches through the night sky to be reunited with her sisters. Regarded as Randolph Rogers’s last great work, The Lost Pleiad exemplifies his flair for dynamic compositions and successfully evokes weightless flight in a freestanding sculpture. Its dramatic form and quasi-erotic, sentimental subject made it an extremely popular work; Rogers received over one hundred requests for replicas following its completion in 1875. Ultimately, it was replicated in two sizes, the Museum’s example being the larger version.