Mazeppa

Thomas J. Snyder (1810–88)

Newport, Delaware, pre-1888

Painted pine

Sewell C. Biggs bequest; 2004.497.

This Delaware folk artist, farmer, and reputed collector carved a number of relief sculptures featuring religious, patriotic, or literary themes. This example in the Biggs Museum illustrates a section of the poem, Mazeppa, by Lord Byron (1788–1824), which tells the story of a protagonist who is exiled for adultery.