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Sleeping Knitting Girl By Ball Hughes, Boston,1859 Poker work on wood plaque, 11 in. by 9 in. Digital image thanks to Lois Herna

Sleeping Knitting Girl Detail of the pyroengraved inscription on the back of the plaque By Ball Hughes Poker work on wood plaque, 11 in. by 9 in. Along the bottom below the inscription are eight tiny figures of dancing skeletons Pyroengraved inscription on the back reads: This sketch of the Sleeping Knitting Girl was burnt with a poker. Boston 1859, Ball Hughes. fecit. Digital image thanks to Lois Herna

Lois Herna recently acquired the above piece signed Ball Hughes (note: the word fecit that follows his name is a Latin word, less commonly used today, that simply means he made it.) There is still uncertainty about its provenance; however, it has been determined that it is a work by Robert Ball Hughes, the sculptor who did the Alexander Hamilton statue that was burned in the fire of 1835 (for which models remain in the Metropolitan Museum of New York) and miniaturist who modified the Gobrecht design of Lady Liberty, which appeared on many U.S. minted coins from 1840 on.

This piece is highlighted in "Pyrograffiti", published on line in the WWWoodcarver Online Magazine, July–August 2000 issue.

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If you have either any questions or any information regarding this work or others by Ball Hughes, please e-mail Lois Herna and the Curator.

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© 2000, 2007, 2009 Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez, all rights reserved.
Last updated 7 November 2009.