American sculptor, who played a significant role in making sculpture in America generally popular. Beginning as a woodcarver, he worked in Boston (1837-c.1841) and New York City (c.1841-1844), studied in Florence, Italy (1844-1851), then settled in Rome. Most of his subjects were either from Greek mythology or romantic literature. A reoccurring theme was the vulnerability of women, a popular 19th-century idea that he expressed through innocent, modest looking female nudes. Ives' statue of Undine Receiving Her Soul, remains one of the icons of the American neo-classical movement. Ives was to revisit the subject of Undine in another work, Undine Rising from the Fountain. Two of his works are in the National Statuary Hall, Washington, D.C. Ives created many portraits of the well known persons of his time, many created in Rome of wealthy Americans who were traveling in Europe. //