The Leaf

Details

Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (American, 1880-1980)
The Leaf
inscribed 'HARRIET W. FRISHMUTH/Sc.' and stamped 'GORHAM CO. FOUNDERS QAKV' (along the base)--inscribed '©' (on the base)
bronze with brown patina
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high
Modeled in 1916; cast circa 1916-1922.

Provenance

Paul Magriel, New York.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 15 March 1995, lot 172 (as Thread of Life).
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Literature

J. Conner, L.R. Lehmbeck, T. Tolles, F. Hohmann III, Captured Motion: The Sculpture of Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, New York, 2006, pp. 30, 63-65, 107, 142, 234, no. 1916:1, another example illustrated.

Lot Essay

Cast in an edition of eighteen, "It is unclear why Frishmuth titled this The Leaf. Later in 1916 she created a sculpture in the same pose she called Thread of Life in which a thread extends from the figure's hand to a spindle on the base. Here we begin to see the emergence of the sculptor's characteristically fine modeling on a small scale, particularly in the hands, fingers and feet. Frishmuth also produced a 27-inch version of The Leaf two years later." (Captured Motion: The Sculpture of Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, New York, 2006, p. 142)

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