Our National Pastime by Douglas Tilden – 1889
(John Cruet was a moldmaker in Paris, he also worked with Rodin. Fondeur means owner of the foundry)
Tilden originally displayed the piece as part of the American Exhibit at the Paris International Exposition, where it was extremely well received. It is widely recognized as the single most famous and classic baseball figural art piece ever created. As a result of its popularity at the time, a very small number of replicas was ordered by Tiffany’s. While the exact number of Tiffany replica’s produced is uncertain (possibly as few as four), only three have ever surfaced (two are 34 inches in height, the other 21 inches), one of which is on permanent exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2006 a newly minted small replica sold for over $18,000.
Tilden, sculptor of the Mechanics Memorial on Market Street, remained a recluse for most of his life and died in 1935. In 1987, many of Tilden’s personal artworks were discovered in an abandoned storage facility.
The original base, made of sandstone at the turn of the century, was too badly worn to be refurbished. The new base is made of mahogany granite with a carved-raised panel and gold leaf lettering was done in November, 1998.
Our National Pastime is on JFK Drive across the street from the Conservatory of Flowers.
It’s a beautiful sculpture and a reminder as to how long baseball has been around.
Re your comment on Ocala: I think there are a lot of people who never really get over their military experience; it represents the most exciting time in their lives. I taught American history and always invited Vietnam vets in to visit my classes once a year…some of these guys were still living those days in Vietnam. Very interesting. Since their military service, they’ve had a hard time coping with daily life.
I love baseball so it is cool to see such an old and wonderful tribute to it.
This is really beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
I have never come across this statue before. Not sure if this piece is the original or a replica, but in any case, how lucky are we to have one of the few locally.
[…] where Serra first landed in California. The statue was commissioned by James Phelan and executed by Douglas Tilden, who has been in this blog before. Tilden completed the plaster statue in his Oakland studio in […]
[…] in 1896, he won a scholarship to the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art where he was a pupil of Douglas Tilden. His benefactress, Mrs. Phoebe Hearst enabled his further study in Paris with Mercie at Ecole des […]
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[…] Tilden is famous for his bronze sculptures; the Mechanics Monument on Market Street and the Baseball Player and Junipero Serra statues in Golden Gate […]