The Jewish Boy

About the Artwork

Medardo Rosso was a highly experimental sculptor who deliberately cultivated coarse, unrefined surfaces in his work. In this head of a boy—which the artist considered one of his most successful works—he effectively utilized the fluid properties of wax to suggest the fleeting movement of a child’s expression as well as the ephemeral nature of childhood.

Inscriptions

inscribed on left shoulder: "Bolgé/(M.?) Rosso."; inscribed inside: Danila Rosso Parravicini.

Provenance

Rosso Family, Barzio, Italy 1970: (Lords Gallery, Ltd., London, United Kingdom, 1970, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1970-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971). Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975). Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).

Quick Overview

Artist: Medardo Rosso (Italian, 1859–1928)
Date: c. 1892
Medium: wax on plaster
Dimensions: Overall: 23.2 x 18.1 x 14.9 cm (9 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
Type: Sculpture
Classification: Sculpture
Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession no.: 1970.33

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.