Booknotes: Moses Jacob Ezekiel

New Arrival:

• Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Jewish, Confederate, Expatriate Sculptor by Samantha Baskind (Penn St UP, 2025)

At least in American popular memory, the names of much-heralded native sculptors of the past are far less commonly remembered today than are other fine artists such as painters, performers, and literary figures. This is the case even though their works were routinely placed in prominent public spaces free for all to visit. Richmond-born Moses Ezekiel (1844-1917), whose active life straddled the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, certainly fits this bill.

From the description: "How is it that the prolific nineteenth-century sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel is largely forgotten today? Ezekiel was the first renowned Jewish American artist and one of the most popular artist-celebrities of his day. In terms of drama, his life story rivals Alexander Hamilton’s. Ezekiel fought for the Confederacy at the Battle of New Market as a teenager and was friends with Robert E. Lee."

I wonder to what degree Ezekiel being an expatriate (1868-1917) for nearly his entire artist career, more than four decades of which was spent in Rome, impacted how little he is remembered in his home country. Regardless, Ezekiel was clearly very well received abroad. More from the description: "After the war, he established himself as an artist in Rome, where he was honored by European royalty and enjoyed friendships with the likes of Franz Liszt, Queen Margherita, and Kaiser Wilhelm II." According to the artist's latest biographer, Samantha Baskind, Ezekiel's Confederate past, however, has tended to overshadow his work, which included over one hundred sculptures.

Baskind's Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Jewish, Confederate, Expatriate Sculptor "resurrects this complicated artist’s life and work and presents the fascinating details of how his sculptures were commissioned and made." Utilizing "a wealth of primary sources," her study "shows how Ezekiel’s sculptures shed light on a range of issues, including the modernization of American Jewry, radical changes in the art world concerning style and patronage, and Civil War commemoration. The conflicting allegiances that motivated Ezekiel’s statues―his conservative Confederate leanings alongside his liberal views on peace, Judaism, and religious liberty―make him an intriguing lens through which to understand nineteenth-century transatlantic culture and history."

It is a beautifully presented book, with thick, glossy paper stock and 100 B&W illustrations (some full-page in size), most of which feature high-res images of Ezekiel's sculpture art. Chapters are organized by theme, with the final one addressing Ezekiel's Confederate soldier experience, perspective, and art legacy.

As "historians are tasked to tell the entire story" (pg. xii), Baskind's book "provides a complete picture of Ezekiel’s oeuvre and his renowned home studio, which drew international visitors. It will appeal to readers interested in art history, Jewish studies, Civil War studies, American studies, and public monuments."