An error has occurred while processing this page. The site administrator has been notified. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Lot 409
Description:
A Polychrome Terracotta Figure of a "New Orleans Stevedore", late 19th c., figure depicted seated,original surface, good patina, height 50 in., width 21 1/4 in., depth 35 in.
- Provenance: Provenance: Possibly the Paris Exposition Universelle 1900; by repute, acquired in the 20th century from the collection of Rock Hudson.~ Note: This sculpture of a nineteenth century seated black man is reminiscent of the terracotta works of the Bernhard Bloch studio of Eichwold, Bavaria (now Dubi, Czech Republic). The company, which operated under Bloch's name from 1871-1940, was well known for tobacco jars in the shape of caricatured heads, although they also made miniature and full-scale reproductions of human figures. One sculpture attributed to the firm of Bernhard Bloch that is particularly similar to the "stevedore" is a life-size polychrome terracotta figure of a young boy seated in a chair, fishing. Both the figure of the man and that of the boy are more realistically depicted than Bloch's tobacco jars. Instead the two life-size figures, particularly the "stevedore" illustrated here, evoke an emotional response from the viewer due to the naturalistic depiction of the facial features. This gritty, un-idealized view of a working man, with a cigar in his mouth and holes in his pants and shoes, derives from the Realist movement of the mid-nineteenth century. During this time period, artists such as Honoré Daumier, in painting and printmaking, and Auguste Rodin, in sculpture, paid homage to the working class with their haunting and evocative works.
Shipping Options
Accepted Forms of Payment:
October 11, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US
Neal Auction Company
You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 0% and any applicable taxes and shipping.