'INDIAN WARRIOR'

Allan Katz, Woodbridge, Connecticut;
Allan Stone, Rye, New York;
Christie's New York, The Collection of Allan Stone, November 12, 2007, lot 621;
Gerald Kornblau, New York

Good condition – several layers of old paint – consistent with use and age.
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.

Thomas V. Brooks (1828–1895), who was one of the most important New York carvers of the mid and late-nineteenth-century, was born in New York City and apprenticed to the ship and figure carver John Cromwell (1805–1873) as a young boy. In 1848, Brooks opened his own shop on South Street, and, as the shipping business waned, began specializing in shop and show figures, in what members of the trade came to call “the image business”. In turn, Brooks is believed to have mentored Samuel Anderson Robb (1851–1928), who became the most successful of all New York figure carvers in the later years of the nineteenth century. By 1860, Brooks had six employees and an inventory of 100 figures, and an 1872 advertisement lists him as “Show Figure and Ornamental Carver…75 to 100 figures always on hand.”

This imposing six-foot, nine-inch figure is typical of the raw, powerful work attributed to Brooks. Because many of his figures were oversized, he adopted a solution similar to what Michelangelo employed in his “David,” supporting part of the statue’s weight with a carved tree stump.