Eaton War Memorial Eagle [Plaster]
Dublin Core
Title
Eaton War Memorial Eagle [Plaster]
Subject
Animal sculpture--20th century
Description
EATON WAR MEMORIAL EAGLE, 1948
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.095
This memorial was commissioned in honor of the employees of the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation who died in World War II. This bronze relief was mounted on a marble wall in which was inscribed the names of those employees who gave their lives for their country.
This eagle is the most prominent element. Typical of Fredericks style, the details of the eagle's body and feathers are simplified with a slight suggestion of detail. The face and obverse of the medallion are visible in the relief. In its talons it grasps an olive branch and arrows signifying a capacity for both peace and war. On the obverse of the medallion in front of the eagle, the inscription is encircled with a laurel branch on the left and an oak branch on the right. These signify victory and strength.
Fredericks also designed a medallion for the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation which can be viewed on page 219 of the book Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor.
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.095
This memorial was commissioned in honor of the employees of the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation who died in World War II. This bronze relief was mounted on a marble wall in which was inscribed the names of those employees who gave their lives for their country.
This eagle is the most prominent element. Typical of Fredericks style, the details of the eagle's body and feathers are simplified with a slight suggestion of detail. The face and obverse of the medallion are visible in the relief. In its talons it grasps an olive branch and arrows signifying a capacity for both peace and war. On the obverse of the medallion in front of the eagle, the inscription is encircled with a laurel branch on the left and an oak branch on the right. These signify victory and strength.
Fredericks also designed a medallion for the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation which can be viewed on page 219 of the book Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor.
Creator
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
Date
1947
Rights
Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum
Type
Sculpture
Coverage
University Center (Mich.)
Sculpture Item Type Metadata
Physical Dimensions
36" x 35"
Materials
Plaster
Catalog Number
1991.095
Object Location
Main Exhibit Gallery
Provenance
1989 March, 22 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control
Notes
From Jennifer Lentz (Collection Documentation Intern 1991-1992)
Memo dated April 22, 1992:
"RE: Eaton War Memorial Eagle
Molly gave me the following information about this work. It honors 113 employees of the Eaton Corporation killed in World War II. The dedication date was September 9, 1949. The dedication was broadcast to about 7200 employees in 12 Eaton plants simultaneously. Fredericks also designed a portrait relief of the founder of the company, Joseph O. Eaton. There is a cast of it in the lobby of the Cleveland office which is the general office. Memorial medallions were presented to the next of kin. In 1949 Eaton was ranked as one of the five largest manufacturers of automobile parts in the world.
Today I went to the Eaton office in Saginaw to photograph the memorial. It is cast in bronze and is the same size as the plaster original in the gallery. It is mounted on a granite wall and below the relief several names are engraved in the granite. I assume these are the individuals from the Saginaw plant who died in World War II.
MF, Sculptor copy:
The Eaton War Memorial
Free-form reliefs in metal upon a contrasting stone background, as seen in the Louisville doorway, were a favorite device of Fredericks's to enrich the flat planes and austere surfaces of twentieth-century architecture. He used it in a variety of places to express a variety of themes.
The War Memorial for the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, is an instance of its use in an interior space, where the sculpture and the list of names are to be seen at close range and the scale is necessarily small. In other instances it is used on a very large scale.
Memo dated April 22, 1992:
"RE: Eaton War Memorial Eagle
Molly gave me the following information about this work. It honors 113 employees of the Eaton Corporation killed in World War II. The dedication date was September 9, 1949. The dedication was broadcast to about 7200 employees in 12 Eaton plants simultaneously. Fredericks also designed a portrait relief of the founder of the company, Joseph O. Eaton. There is a cast of it in the lobby of the Cleveland office which is the general office. Memorial medallions were presented to the next of kin. In 1949 Eaton was ranked as one of the five largest manufacturers of automobile parts in the world.
Today I went to the Eaton office in Saginaw to photograph the memorial. It is cast in bronze and is the same size as the plaster original in the gallery. It is mounted on a granite wall and below the relief several names are engraved in the granite. I assume these are the individuals from the Saginaw plant who died in World War II.
MF, Sculptor copy:
The Eaton War Memorial
Free-form reliefs in metal upon a contrasting stone background, as seen in the Louisville doorway, were a favorite device of Fredericks's to enrich the flat planes and austere surfaces of twentieth-century architecture. He used it in a variety of places to express a variety of themes.
The War Memorial for the Eaton Manufacturing Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, is an instance of its use in an interior space, where the sculpture and the list of names are to be seen at close range and the scale is necessarily small. In other instances it is used on a very large scale.
Files
Citation
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Eaton War Memorial Eagle [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed December 22, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5139.