American School, 19th Century

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Ginsberg, Tarrytown, New York
Leigh Keno, New York, 1990
David A. Schorsch, New York, New York

"The Flowering of American Folk Art, 1776-1876,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1974

Bishop, Robert. American Folk Sculpture, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1974, p. 117
Lipman, Jean and Alice Winchester. The Flowering of American Folk Art, 1776-7876, New York: Viking Press in association with Whitney Museum of American Art, 1974, p.125
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 351, fig. 314

Shrinkage cracks on the back; overall condition very good.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

As every American knows, the image of George Washington has been carved, cast, and painted for just about every conceivable purpose since the late eighteenth century. A transcendent figure in the national imagination, he leads the pantheon of American heroes, Among the best characterizations of his exalted position is a well-known observation by Paul Svinin, a Russian diplomat who toured the United States between 1811 and 1813. In his travel journals, he wrote, "It is noteworthy that every American considers it his sacred duty to have a likeness of Washington in his home, just as we have images of God's saints .... Washington's portrait is the finest and sometimes the sole decoration of American homes."¹The same can be said of public buildings, fraternal organizations, and countless businesses, large and small.

One of the most distinctive images of Washington is this uniquely stylized wooden figure, which is believed to have been created for the Washington Masonic Lodge in Adams, Pennsylvania, Carved in the half-round, it has a flattened back that indicates it was intended to be mounted on a wall. The carver has captured the essence of the popular conception of Washington with a minimum of extraneous detail. Particular attention has been paid to the head and broad shoulders emphasized by epaulets, from which the body tapers to relatively short legs terminating in the suggestion of military boots. -R,S,

¹ Pavel Petrovich Svinin, A Picturesque Voyage in North America (St. Petersburg: n.p., 1815), p. 150, quoted in Avrahm Yarmolinsky, Picturesque United States of America: Being a Memoir on Paul Svinin (New York: William Edwin Ridge, 1930), p. 34.