Reproof

Edward R. Thaxter, born Yarmouth, ME 1857-died Naples, Italy 1881 · ca. 1878-1880

In Reproof, a young girl sternly scolds her cat, who has just attacked a bird's nest. She clutches the cat to her chest and looks at it disapprovingly, while waving her hand in discipline. Meanwhile, a dead bird lies at her feet and feathers hang limply from the cat’s mouth. This scene is a prelude to the responsibilities of motherhood: the young girl who is now reprimanding her cat will have to ensure that her own children are well behaved in the future. Although Edward Thaxter's life was short, he excelled in creating detailed neoclassical sculpture. He made at least five marble copies of Reproof.