To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Jacques Caffiéri, 29 October 1783
From Jean-Jacques Caffiéri
ALS: American Philosophical Society
Paris ce 29 octobre 1783
Monsieur
En Lisant La Gazette Dernier j’ay vû que Les Etats Unis de Lamerique etoit dans Lintention de faire Elevé une Statue au General De Wanchinton et quel Doit se faire a Paris.2 Si La chose est vraie je vous prie Monsieur de vouloir bien vous Resouvenire de moy, j’ay quel que Droit pour obtenire votre chois, L’ancienté sur Les personnes qui peuve vous faire La même Demende, votre Portrait et Le tombeau De Montgomerie, vous ons du prouver mon zele et mon Savoire.3
Je sui avec Respet Monsieur Votre tres humble et tres obeissant Serviteur
Caffieri
2. The Oct. 24 supplement of the Gaz. de Leyde reprinted a congressional resolution of Aug. 7 directing that a commission for a bronze equestrian statue of GW be awarded to the best artist in Europe. The statue was to be set on a marble pedestal engraved with scenes of the general’s major victories and placed “where the residence of Congress shall be established.” GW was to be in Roman dress and crowned with laurel. The resolution further directed that BF should supervise the work, and ordered the secretary of Congress to send him an excellent likeness of GW and a description of the events to be carved in bas relief on the pedestal: JCC, XXIV, 494–5. This resolution was widely reprinted in the American press, including the Sept. 3 issue of the Pa. Gaz., but we have found no record of BF’S having been notified. The idea was revived after BF returned to Philadelphia, at which time he recommended Houdon: John Jay to Richard Henry Lee, Oct. 29, 1785 (National Archives). The commission, however, was never awarded.
3. Caffiéri had not received an American commission since 1777, when he completed the marble monument to Gen. Montgomery and the terracotta bust of BF (XXIV, 160–1; XXV, 266–7), but he persisted in soliciting such work: XXXII, 474; XXXVII, 84; XXXIX, 9, 386; XL, 561. On the same day as the present letter he also sent a solicitation to WTF (APS).