05-21-201005-22-2010
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2507Boston
May 21, 2010 12:00 PMCalender
316

Paul Howard Manship (American, 1885-1966) Portrait of the Artist's Daughter Sarah Jane

Sell one like this
 
Auction: American & European Works of Art - 2507Location: BostonDate / Time: May 21, 2010 12:00PM

Description:

Paul Howard Manship (American, 1885-1966)

Portrait of the Artist's Daughter Sarah Jane
Signed and dated "PAUL MANSHIP 1929" on the underside.
Plaster, 6 x 18 x 9 in., in an inscribed wooden crate.
Condition: Surface grime, chips to foot joint, abrasions.

Provenance: From the artist to his daughter, Sarah Jane Murtha, as stated in his will, dated 1965.


N.B. Although known for his public monuments such as the Prometheus Fountain in Rockefeller Center, this sculpture of the artist's daughter offers a more intimate view of Manship's work. It was most likely completed shortly after Sarah's birth, on June 19, 1929, in Paris.
Throughout his career, Manship was able to seamlessly blend traditional and modern aesthetics. From 1909 to 1911, he studied in Rome where he was exposed to Classical and Archaic sculptures, often directly referencing them in his own works. By the 1920s Manship's style was beginning to change, especially visible in his portraiture. Murtha writes, "over the years the style of Manship's portraits progressed from a formal point of view towards characterization and spontaneity" (1) This work, with the pose of the baby and the drapery of the fabric, certainly reflects Manship's shifted emphasis towards realism and the illusion of mass. A reproduction of this work in marble is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.


(1) Murtha, Edwin, Paul Manship (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1957),p. 15



Estimate $12,000-18,000

Keywords

Paul Howard Manship, Sarah Jane Murtha, Sarah Jane, Rockefeller Center, Paris, Smithsonian, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Macmillan Company