THE GODDESS LIBERTY

Executed in New York or Chicago circa 1875.

Wilson Folk Art, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Several layers metallic paint, remnants of gilding in hair, overall surface grime. Flaking paint and losses consistent with age and use of the object.
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.

Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, was adopted as a symbol by American revolutionaries such as Paul Revere and Thomas Paine and became one of this country’s most enduring symbols, depicted on currency and stamps as well as in paintings and sculptures. A 19½-foot tall bronze sculpture of Freedom was placed on top the dome of the US Capitol in 1863, and she found her ultimate expression in Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi’s 151–foot tall Statue of Liberty, erected in New York Harbor in 1886. Statues of the Goddess of Liberty were very popular in the second half of the nineteenth century, and every American purveyor of metal statuary offered one or two variations on the theme, which were placed inside and outside patriotic and fraternal organizations, in public buildings, and used as ornaments on the pilothouses of ferries and steamboats. J. L. Mott introduced its six-foot, four-inch Goddess in 1871, which sold for $180. This example originally held either a resting sword or a flag in its right hand.