Randolph John Rogers (1825-1892) Portrait of a man Marble bust Signed and located "Randolph Rogers/Rome" on the reverse H : 61 cm Small accidents to the nose, soiling Related literature: M. F. Rogers, Randolph Rogers: American Sculptor in Rome, University of Massachusetts Press, 1971 Originally from Michigan, Randolph Rogers moved to New York in 1847 where he worked as a clerk in a store. His colleagues, discovering his talent for sculpture, which he practiced in his spare time, financed a trip to Florence in 1848, where he took classes with Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850) at the School of Fine Arts. The sculptor divided his time between Rome, where he set up his studio in 1851, and the United States. Famous for the bronze doors of the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Rogers created numerous marble portraits, commissioned by travelers during their "Grand Tour" in Rome. He was the first American to be elected academician of merit and resident professor at the Academy of Saint Luke in 1873.