- 66
Harriet Whitney Frishmuth 1880 - 1980
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Harriet Whitney Frishmuth
- Extase (Nocturne)
- inscribed Harriet Frishmuth 1920 and Gorham Co. Founders QBKE
- bronze
- height: 19 1/2 inches (49.5 cm)
Provenance
Graham Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1998
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1998
Literature
Charles N. Aronson, Sculptured Hyacinths, New York, 1973, pp. 102-06, 206, illustrations of other examples pp. 103, 104, 206
Janis Conner, Frank Hohmann, Leah Rosenblatt Lembreck, Thayer Tolles et al., Captured Motion: The Sculpture of Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, A Catalogue of Works, New York, 2006, no. 1920:1, pp. 148-49, 239, illustrated p. 149
Janis Conner, Frank Hohmann, Leah Rosenblatt Lembreck, Thayer Tolles et al., Captured Motion: The Sculpture of Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, A Catalogue of Works, New York, 2006, no. 1920:1, pp. 148-49, 239, illustrated p. 149
Condition
This work is in very good condition. The patina is golden brown. There is some green oxidation between the figure's legs, and on either side of her neck around her face.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Modeled in 1920, Extase (Nocturne) presents Frishmuth’s model Desha Delteil in a strong and streamlined pose. The title refers to Alexander Scriabin’s piano sonata Le Poème de l’extase (The Poem of Ecstasy), from 1908, which was first performed in New York in 1915. Desha often danced to music from the gramophone in Frishmuth’s studio and the sculptor studied her carefully waiting for a desired pose. For Le Poème de l’extase Scriabin wrote a ten-page poem meant to accompany the musical composition, which discusses man’s pursuit of the ideal, love, and the eventual flight of the spirit. Frishmuth’s Extase presents Desha at full vertical extension. Her hands are firmly clasped together with a soaring movement and her heels are completely lifted from the base, suggesting the possibility of flight.