Scene 13 – Prairie with Buffalo, Elk, and Gigantic Bust on the Ledge of a Limestone Rock; Spring Creek, Texas.
Scene 12 has been conserved, and the conservators have begun work on Scene 13 – Prairie with Buffalo, Elk, and Gigantic Bust on the Ledge of a Limestone Rock; Spring Creek, Texas. Its centerpiece is a massive stone figure carved into a rock face next to a river. Buffalo gallop in the background, while two elk enjoy the view by the river’s edge.
The Museum’s conservators have already uncovered new information about this scene. After flattening out the creases and examining the scene more closely, they discovered that the dark lines in the stone figure’s forehead – previously assumed to be wrinkles – actually form a third eye. This area was one of the first to be retouched, so visitors to the exhibition can now clearly see the extra eye.
Like several other scenes in the panorama, Scene 13 is highly fanciful and likely has little grounding in reality. There are no known archaeological sites that resemble the stone figure, and attempts to find the “Spring Creek, Texas” named in the title have been unsuccessful. It is likely that Dickeson heard rumors about such a monument and included it as an oddity in his lectures.
This scene reveals the collaboration between Dickeson and Egan. Dickeson, the commissioner, likely requested an image of the stone bust, based on something he encountered during his years as an amateur archaeologist. Egan, the artist, embellished the scene with elaborate foliage, buffalo and elk, and a vibrant sunset.
The scene should be on view for about a little over a week. Come and see the progress!
