Recently this magnificent statue was installed on the Gazebo at the Fairmount Water Works.  Look for it gleaming in the sun when you travel the Schuylkill Expressway or the West River Drive.  The original was carved in wood by John Rush and was last seen in the late 1800’s.  This beautiful replica in bronze and gold leaf is original art by sculptor Gary Anderson.  Gary used historical photographs and his extensive knowledge of nineteenth century sculpture as the basis for his design.  He then welded the frame, sculpted the full size original, and later finished the piece and applied the gold leaf in his studio at Anderson Artworks in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.  The casting was done at Kane Sculpture studio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island where he worked alongside foundry expert Chris Kane.  Gary also carved the entire acanthus leaf base from mahogany.  After driving both pieces down in the back of his pickup, Gary personally directed every step of the installation (that’s him on the roof with the purple shirt).  Click on the thumbnails below for full size photos of the entire process.