**Originally Listed At $800**

John Rogers (American, 1829-1904). "The Council of War" painted plaster, modeled ca. 1868. Signed in the mold on the base below Lincoln's knee. "PATENT" on back of integral base. A wonderful example of American sculptor John Rogers' "The Council of War" depicting Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) engaged in a discussion about the Civil War with General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869). Lincoln is at the center, reviewing a map of Grant's battle plan. This sculpture was very popular and three versions were created; each one presented Stanton in a slightly different pose. This version, depicting Stanton polishing his glasses behind Lincoln's head, was the first version. Apparently, this version conjured associations with Lincoln's assassination, so in later versions, Stanton's hands were moved away from Lincoln's head. Size: 24.25" H (61.6 cm)

According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, "The Council of War depicts President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and General Ulysses S. Grant discussing the Civil War. John Rogers made the group at the suggestion of Stanton, who described the scene as 'one of the most interesting and appropriate occasions' for a sculpture. It was later praised by Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln, who considered it to be the most lifelike portrait of his father in sculpture."

According to the Brooklyn Museum, "This sculptural group was a memorial to Abraham Lincoln and the recent war, and was marketed as such to a wide audience of upper-middle-class Americans. It represents the seated president receiving the map of a battle plan from General Ulysses S. Grant and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The sculptor John Rogers established his reputation for this type of narrative figure group by 1863 with a work titled Union Refugees, which was initially rendered in bronze. Rogers's method of patenting his designs and replicating them in plaster made him the first American to mass-produce sculpture for a popular market."

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Arkansas, USA collection, via descent in 2021; ex-private Florida estate, USA, acquired from the 1960s to 1970s

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#171864

Signed in the mold on the base below Lincoln's knee. "PATENT" on back of integral base. Some wear to the base makes the first name of the signature and the date of the patent inscription difficult to decipher. Crack and nicks to unfurled document on the base beneath Lincoln's chair. Surface wear and abrasions/nicks to high pointed areas commensurate with age.