In the silent Roman workshops of 1872, Franklin Bachelder Simmons sculpted this figure of Abdiel as one carves an eternal idea.
Today, this monumental marble is reborn, carrying a rare force, a light that belongs only to great rediscovered works.

A work from Simmons's most sought-after period

Simmons (1839–1913), sculptor for the US Capitol, is one of the masters of American Neoclassical sculpture. Three of his statues still watch over the National Statuary Hall, several busts reside in the Senate, others in the great cities of the East Coast.
However, his Roman works, his ideal marbles, are extremely rare.
Most of them sleep in museums:
Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Lewiston…

Very few remain in private hands.

This Carrara marble statue, signed F. SIMMONS – ROMA 1872 – ABDIEL, is therefore an appearance.
A resurgence.
A promise for the future for any American institution in search of lost masterpieces.

Style: the pure American Neoclassical writing

The sculpture breathes the sculptor's maturity, his absolute mastery of form, light, and ancient spirit.

The face — softness, spirituality, ideal

• Blended modeling, perfectly controlled transitions

• Straight, slightly aquiline nose: Simmons' stylistic signature

• Lively mouth, delicately carved

• Smooth eyes, without pupils: elevation, inwardness

It is a face that does not tell a story, but radiates.

The hair — a chisel ballet

Clean furrows, airy strands, controlled disorder:
the living, vibrant Roman gesture.
An undeniable argument for attribution.

The drapery — total virtuosity

Supple, ample, almost moving.
This pleating is a direct homage to the great antique figures studied by Simmons in Rome.
Balance, restraint, and the breath of eternity are all united here.

Abdiel: “faithful among the faithless”

Abdiel, the faithful angel facing Satan's rebellion, is one of the strongest figures in John Milton's Paradise Lost.
Simmons, passionate about moral ideals and spiritual heroism, makes him a model.
Contemporary texts attest to a marble entitled The Seraph Abdiel sculpted in Rome.

Here, everything converges:

• The title engraved in the base

• The signature

• The date

• The style

• The heroic pose

• The monumental format (140 cm)

This is the version mentioned in historical sources.

A museum-quality piece

140 cm of pure, perfectly balanced Carrara marble.
A remarkable condition for a 19th-century marble:
no major restoration, no significant loss, only traces of superficial deposit, witnessing a long rest.

This format is extremely rare.
Simmons's ideal marbles exceeding one meter are almost impossible to find on the market.

This work is naturally addressed to:

• American museums

• Prestigious universities

• Major patriotic foundations

• Collectors of Neoclassical marbles

• Institutions seeking to restore a fragment of American art history

Dimensions

• Height: 140 cm
  

• Material: Carrara marble, original finish

Provenance

Private collection, France.

Transport

Due to the importance of the piece, specialized transport with a wooden crate will be organized.
International delivery possible

A forgotten masterpiece returned to enlighten anew

This statue is not just a work of art.
It is a rebirth.
A fragment of American history, sculpted in the light of Rome, and now ready to reclaim its place on the international stage.

This statue brings together:

• the excellence of marble

• the power of the subject

• the prestige of the sculptor

• the rarity of the Roman period

• the aura of a lost masterpiece

A work that can change the destiny of a collector.
Or that of a museum.