Karl Bitter's Twelve Months Panels at The Ringling: First Study of Gilded Age Frieze

The Ringling Museum of Art is initiating its first academic examination of Karl Bitter's Twelve Months Panels, a marble frieze currently housed in Gallery 21. This artwork was originally sculpted for Collis P. Huntington's New York City mansion, which was completed in 1895 at an estimated cost of $1.5 million (approximately $48 million today). The high-relief frieze showcases twelve panels, each illustrating a month with scenes of playful children inspired by Renaissance putti. Between the monthly panels, sixteen additional works representing arts and sciences, created by Ellin, Kitson & Co., were included. After the mansion's demolition in 1926, John Ringling acquired the frieze and installed it in the Museum of Art auditorium, now known as Gallery 21. The frieze draws from the medieval 'Labors of the Months' tradition, with influences from 19th-century German calendars and children's literature. Following its 2019 reinstallation, the month panels were rearranged, and due to Gallery 21's size of approximately 2,400 square feet compared to the Main Hall's 900 square feet, some intermediate panels were replicated in plaster to accompany the marble originals. There are no surviving documents explaining Bitter's artistic decisions, and despite its significant history, the frieze has largely escaped scholarly scrutiny until now. Research remains in progress.