The Life and Times of Moses Jacob Ezekiel by Peter Adam Nash

Description

The first Jewish-American artist to win international fame — a Civil War cadet turned Roman sculptor. The Life and Times of Moses Jacob Ezekiel by Peter Adam Nash tells a remarkable story: born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1844, Ezekiel fought at the Battle of New Market as a VMI cadet during the Civil War.

He went on to study sculpture in Berlin and Rome, establishing his studio in the ancient Baths of Diocletian — a workshop he kept for over forty years. His monuments rose across Europe and America, most famously the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Nash draws on Ezekiel’s own memoirs and letters to paint a vivid portrait of a complex man: Southern patriot and European sophisticate, honored with knighthoods by foreign monarchs, who never married and devoted his life to art. Richly researched, elegantly written — essential for American art, sculpture, and nineteenth-century lives.

The Life and Times of Moses Jacob Ezekiel

The Life and Times of Moses Jacob Ezekiel: American Sculptor, Arcadian Knight by Peter Adam Nash tells the remarkable story of the first Jewish-American artist to win international fame.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1844, Moses Jacob Ezekiel was a Virginia Military Institute cadet who fought at the Battle of New Market during the Civil War. He went on to study sculpture in Berlin and Rome, eventually establishing his studio in the ancient Baths of Diocletian — a workshop he kept for more than forty years. His monuments rose in cities across Europe and America, most famously the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Nash, a novelist and scholar, draws on Ezekiel’s own memoirs and letters to paint a vivid portrait of a complex man: a Southern patriot and a European sophisticate, honored with knighthoods by foreign monarchs, who never married and devoted his life to art.

Richly researched and elegantly written, this biography is essential reading for lovers of American art, sculpture, and the extraordinary lives of the nineteenth century.