| TITLE
| Demosthenes |
| CREATOR | unknown |
| DATE | 1800-1840 |
| DIMENSIONS | 25 x 10 x 9 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Sculpture |
| MEDIUM | Plaster |
| PHYSICAL NOTE | This plaster sculpture is one of the 16 that sit atop the bookshelves in the library’s main hall. |
| DONOR | Gift of James Phalen |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1840 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Main Library |
This bust of the Athenian orator and statesman Demosthenes [384 BC-322 BC] is one of sixteen that circle the Athenæum’s main hall. Ten of the busts, including this one, were donated by James Phalen in 1840. Phalen, a Providence resident, was a managing contractor for U.S. lotteries. In 1838, Phalen’s Exchange and Lottery Office was located on North Main Street, very close to the newly opened Athenæum.
A contemporary of Plato and Aristotle, Demosthenes is known for rousing Athens to fight against Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great. In 354 BCE, he gave his famous speech “On the Navy Boards” to the Athenian Assembly, convincing them to expand their navy in order to win the fight against the Persians. Though the original bust from which this plaster copy is derived is unidentified, it possesses features often found in depictions of Demosthenes.
Lancaster, Jane. Inquire Within: A Social History of the Providence Athenæum Since 1753. Providence, RI: Providence Athenæum, 2003, p. 64.
"The Bust Project/Original Busts." The Providence Athenæum, 2020, www.providenceathenaeum.org/collections/the-bust-project/original-busts/. Accessed 19 Sep. 2020.
Burriesci, Matt. “Who is This Guy?” The Universal Penman, Spring 2016, pp. 10-12.
Prue, Amanda. “Demosthenes.” 2016. ARTH 401: Cataloguing Curiosity, Wheaton College, student paper.