Fine Paintings & Sculpture
Description:
Abram Poole (American, 1882-1961)
Portrait of Harriet Hoctor En Pointe
Signed and inscribed "A Poole/134 E 47/N.Y.C." on the reverse.
Oil on canvas, 72 1/2 x 38 in. (184.0 x 96.5 cm),unframed.
Condition: Horizontal tears, the largest measuring 13 in. at u.r., mold spots, scattered paint losses and accretions, varnish discoloration, craquelure, stretcher bar marks, tack holes along perimeter, surface grime.
N.B. Harriet Hoctor (1907-1977),a gifted dancer of classical ballet, trained in New York first with Louis H. Chalif and then Ivan Tarasoff. During the 1920s and 30s dance companies dedicated to ballet did not exist in the U.S., so Hoctor appeared in ballet numbers in vaudeville (including the Ziegfeld Follies),musical comedy, and, to a lesser extent, film. She was especially noted for her supple back bend en pointe, a pose that was captured in a dramatic vintage photo on the cover of Dance Scope Magazine in 1980 (Vol 14, No.3),a copy of which accompanies the lot. The cover photo shows Hoctor in the role of the Fairy Doll from A La Carte, 1927, wearing what appears to be a costume identical to the one worn in Poole's portrait.
Estimate $1,500-2,000
All the tears to the canvas are horizontal. The major tear located u.r. measures 13 inches across. There is another tear center left beneath the dancer's hand that measures 2 1/4 inches across. There is a series of three small tears along the bottom edge of various sizes, 1 1/4 inch, 3/4 inch, and 2 1/2 inches. These may be the result of weakened canvas pressed against the stretcher bar. There is also a 7 inch long diagonal surface scratch in the skirt.
Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Keywords
Louis H. Chalif, Ivan Tarasoff, Abram Poole, United StatesRobin S.R. Starr
Vice President
Director of American & European Works of Art
508-970-3206
Elizabeth Haff
Specialist, American & European Works of Art
Old Masters & 19th Century
508-970-3206
Kathleen M. Leland
Specialist, American & European Works of Art
Modern & Contemporary Art
508-970-3206
James Leighton
Specialist, American & European Works of Art
Fine Photographs
508-970-3206
American & European Works of Art
The American & European Works of Art department brings years of experience, connoisseurship, and knowledge of art history to bear in every fine art appraisal, evaluation, and auction.