Thomas Ball

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Thomas Ball

American sculptor

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 7, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: June 3, 1819, Charlestown, Mass., U.S.

Died:: Dec. 11, 1911, Montclair, N.J. (aged 92)

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Thomas Ball (born June 3, 1819, Charlestown, Mass., U.S.—died Dec. 11, 1911, Montclair, N.J.) was a sculptor whose work had a marked influence on monumental art in the United States, especially in New England.

Thomas Ball: Saint John the Evangelist — Thomas Ball: Saint John the EvangelistSaint John the Evangelist, marble sculpture by Thomas Ball, 1875; in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. 119.1 × 44.5 × 48.9 cm.

Henry Clay — Henry ClayBronze statue of Henry Clay, modeled 1858 by Thomas Ball; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Ball began his career as a wood engraver and miniaturist. An accomplished musician, he fashioned many early cabinet busts of musicians. Among his best-known works are an equestrian statue of George Washington (Public Garden, Boston) and the Lincoln “Emancipation” group (Washington, D.C.). He published his autobiography, My Threescore Years and Ten, in 1891.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.