1921 Harriet Frishmuth "Curiosity" Bronze
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GUEST:
I inherited it from my uncle. My uncle probably got it in the mid-1960s in New York City. He lived to 2015, and then he passed away at 89, and was an antique dealer, collector for about 55 years. Harriet Frishmuth was born in 1880, I believe, and died in 1980. Famous American sculptor, and her works are beautiful.
APPRAISER:
You're right, it's by a very important American sculptor, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth. She did have a very long lifespan, almost 100 years. Born in Pennsylvania, most recognized as working, uh, as a New York sculptor. She really had opportunities that many women didn't have in the time-- she studied in Paris with Auguste Rodin, she studied in New York with Gutzon Borglum, who's known for Mount Rushmore, and had a very active and prolific career. The bronze is titled "Curiosity." This is a particularly rare copy. There were only three ever cast, and it was cast by the Ideal Foundry in Providence, which is unusual in that they only cast works for her twice, in 1921 and 1922. It's signed "Harriet W. Frishmuth," it's dated 1921, and it has a foundry mark for the Ideal Company, Providence, Rhode Island. One of the most appealing elements of Harriet Frishmuth's bronzes are just these lovely figures. They're very athletic, and full of life and vitality, often modeled after dancers. I think the model for both of these figures was, uh, Desha, who was one of her frequent models and muses, and it's great how they are standing on this very naturalistic rock work and earth base. Each of them are sort of glancing down at this little frog here, beautifully cast into the edge. It has a purpose. Do you know what that might be?
GUEST:
No, no idea.
APPRAISER:
It's a flower holder.
GUEST:
Ah... And the flowers go in the middle.
APPRAISER:
The flowers go in the middle, and they rest in these little holes on the bottom. So I saw, there's a marking underneath it. It's a little label and put an annotat...
GUEST:
He labeled all of his collectibles.
APPRAISER:
So what is the letter code equivalent of?
GUEST:
$50.
APPRAISER:
It's not unusual for dealers to use a code so that when they're looking at a piece, they know what they paid for it without having to check their log books. Harriet Frishmuth comes up on the marketplace very frequently. I'd say in today's market, at auction, conservatively, would estimate it between $20,000 and $25,000.
GUEST:
Very nice, very nice. And insurance value?
APPRAISER:
I would think, for insurance, you're probably looking at around $50,000.
GUEST:
Oh, geez, very nice. (chuckles) My uncle had a keen eye for antiques.
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