Cardelli Bust of Thomas Jefferson

Pietro Cardelli was an Italian artist who traveled to Monticello during Jefferson’s retirement in order to take his portrait. In this installment of Object Stories, Diane Ehrenpreis, Curator of Decorative Arts at Monticello, explains how the Cardelli bust of Jefferson is an accurate representation of him during his “Autumn years.” Learn how Cardelli endeavored to create a portrait bust of Jefferson along with a series of depictions which would include James Madison and James Monroe. ????