P.P. Caproni and Brother (active Boston and New York, 1892 - 1927)
Charles Martin Loeffler's Hand, 1914
Plaster, 18 x 20 x 30 cm (7 1/16 x 7 7/8 x 11 13/16 in.)
This is a white plaster cast of Charles Martin Loeffer’s left hand holding the upper neck of a violin with the pegs and scroll of the violin rising above. The cast is anchored at the bottom by the musician’s wrist and forearm rising from a low rectangular base. The hand holds the neck of the violin between his left thumb below and his four curved fingers on top, depressing the first and third strings with his pinky and third fingers, respectively. The cast is rendered in detail, the short nails of his fingers clearly visible as are the creases in his palm and wrist.
Yellow Room
Commentary
Composer-violinist Charles Martin Loeffler was one of Isabella Stewart Gardner’s closest friends. With Gardner as his patron, Loeffler built a steady career within Boston’s musical community. When Gardner completed her museum, Loeffler used its Music Room to debut “Pagan Poem,” one of his most important compositions. Casts of famous people’s faces and hands were popular mementos in the 19th century, and Loeffler and his friend Mabel Hunt Slater gave the cast to Gardner as Christmas present in 1914.