Emile-Louis Picault (1839-1915) "La Pensée" (ca. 1890s) by

Collection Highlight

"La Pensée" (ca. 1890s) by Emile-Louis Picault (1839-1915) was gifted to the Museum by one of its most generous benefactors, George H. Sullivan, in about 1940. The bronze sculpture is 37.5 x 18 x 19 inches. The allegorical winged figure seems to be exalting literature, perched as he is upon a book inscribed with the names of great (mostly French) writers and philosophers, including Virgil, Montaigne, Descartes, Racine, and Corneille. At the base of the sculpture is a plaque which reads: “La Pensée Prenant son voi et portant la lumière” (“Thought Taking Flight and Bringing the Light”)Beneath the book runs a banner inscribed: “Fiat Lux,” (“Let there be light”), the motto of Rollins College. Picault exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1863 to 1909. His subjects, popular in his time, typically included allegories, warriors, and patriotic virtues.