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BUST OF THOMAS JEFFERSON AFTER JEAN-ANTOIN HOUDON (FRENCH, 1741-1828).

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:NA Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
BUST OF THOMAS JEFFERSON AFTER JEAN-ANTOIN HOUDON (FRENCH, 1741-1828).

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Auction Date:2012 Jan 07 @ 10:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:2097 London Road, Suite F, Delaware, Ohio, 43015, United States
BUST OF THOMAS JEFFERSON AFTER JEAN-ANTOIN HOUDON (FRENCH, 1741-1828).
Cast plaster, unsigned. 27 1/2"h. Ex Jim Welch (Ohio).

Only a small number of plaster versions of Houdon's bust of Jefferson exist. Among those is the bust that was exhibited at the Salon of 1789 that sold at Christie's (May 1987, lot 8, now in the collection of Monticello), which was made prior to the marble bust (now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), as well as a handful of casts made from that bust, including examples at the New York Historical Society, the American Philosophical Society, and the University of Virginia.

The present cast may be yet another made in the 19th century, or it has also been theorized that this is the cast of the Boston marble commissioned by Felix Schlag in 1938. It was that casting that Schlag used as the model for his design for the U.S. five-cent piece, now called the Jefferson nickel, that was minted from 1938 until 2004.

Condition: Additional research accompanies this lot, including copies of letters from Schlag, as well as notes from a conversation about the bust when it was examined at the MFA and compared to their marble.

Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by our Conditions of Sale.