Frank Lloyd Wright Garden Sprite Garden Sculpture, Assorted Sizes

Faces Over the Dance Floor: A Midway Gardens Sprite for Your Garden

This Midway Gardens sprite recalls the geometric figures that watched over parties at Frank Lloyd Wright's Chicago beer garden. It ranges from a 12 in desk statue to a 66 in grande, cast in reconstituted stone.

The Maid in the Mud sprite is a reduction of a 1913 Wright design. It was sculpted by Alfonso Iannelli, and its serene expression gazes down as if from a wall.

Product Details

• Material: Reconstituted stone, for interior and exterior use
• Method: Hand made by the dry-casting method
• Finish: Closely resembles natural quarried stone; grey color chip pictured
• Small 4514Z: 12 in H x 3 in W x 2.5 in D, 2 lbs, desktop statue
• Large 3571_30: Sculpture alone, 30.5 in H x 6 in W x 8 in D, 42 lbs
• Large base only 3572: 11 in H x 10.75 in W x 8 in D, 38 lbs
• Large with base 4061: 41.5 in H, 82 lbs, 2 pieces
• Grande 3571_66: 66 in H x 11 in W x 14 in D, 360 lbs
• Grande base only 4934: 22 in H x 21 in W x 21 in L, 280 lbs
• Grande with base 10017: 88 in H, 2 pieces
• Grande delivery: Continental US only
• Style: Midway Gardens sprite statue, garden sculpture
• Authentication: Authenticated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, Arizona

A German Style Garden in Chicago

Midway Gardens opened in June 1914 in Chicago's Hyde Park, on the site of an older amusement park. Edward C. Waller Jr. commissioned it for dining, dancing, and concerts.

It was a German style beer garden with terraces, pools, and a music pavilion.

Sprites of Cubist Geometry

Wright named the sculptures sprites. He co-designed them with Iannelli. An Iannelli sprite statue therefore carries both names. Each Midway Gardens sprite shows Wright's love of strong geometry. As Frank Lloyd Wright garden sculpture, it is bold, angular, and playful.

The Met owns a painted cement Sprite from about 1914, standing 65 in high. It has a faceted face that reflects Cubism. The Maid in the Mud sprite shares that faceted style.

What Became of Midway Gardens

Prohibition drained the Gardens of their appeal. The building closed and was torn down in October 1929. Some sprites survived and now sit elsewhere. A Midway Gardens sprite in your garden keeps that story alive.

This Frank Lloyd Wright garden sculpture keeps the design alive. Every Maid in the Mud sprite is made by hand. This Frank Lloyd Wright garden sculpture is rare. Browse more in our Frank Lloyd Wright Collection.

Display and Care

The small statue suits a desk, while the grande is a garden landmark at 360 lbs. Reconstituted stone suits interior and exterior use. Set each Midway Gardens sprite on a firm, level base.

Alfonso Iannelli in Brief

Alfonso Iannelli lived from 1888 to 1965. Born in Italy, he moved to America in 1898 and studied sculpture under Gutzon Borglum. He later opened Iannelli Studios in Park Ridge with his wife, Margaret. The Iannelli sprite statue is among his best loved Chicago works. Collectors prize an Iannelli sprite statue for its history.

For More Reading from the Web

• Read how Midway Gardens rose in 1914 and fell in 1929, and where its sprites went. Midway Gardens - Wikipedia
• Study a sprite from the original Midway Gardens at the Met, in painted cement. Sprite by Wright and Iannelli - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Meet the Italian-born sculptor who co-designed the sprites with Wright. Alfonso Iannelli - Wikipedia