Posted 6 years ago
Trent1971
(4 items)
He or she was given to me by my Aunt several years ago. She knew her husband bought it in the late 1960’s early 70’s, not sure if it was new at the time. I looked at some simular online, most were made and signed by known names. My Panther or Jaguar? has no marks that I can find. I’m not sure if he is bronze or if the base is Onyx? 7” long 3” wide. It is very heavy.
What a beautiful wild cat sculpture, although he has a panther look my guess is a tiger from the neck scruff. The base is very handsome, definitely quality stone from the looks & weight. Great piece!
I think your right, I see Tiger now. Thank you. Yes, I'm sure I will hold onto it for several more years:)
HERE kitty kitty kitty...?? Meow, meow, meow...??!!
Seriously, I'd welcome that most-handsome feline into my home in a heartbeat! Your Uncle (and Aunt) must have had 'a good eye for things', and now so much the better that you inherited him!! <applause>
The base looks more like alabaster, although hard to tell on this one, would have to see in person. Both alabaster and onyx let light through. The striations are a little bit strange for onyx which run more serpentine. So I am saying alabaster for now. The output for alabaster in this size of your base strongly resembles the bases that the H. B. Hirsh foundry was using, and they were using it more in the very early 40's, so this striped base may be from them.
From the size I am pretty sure its meant as a bookend rather than a statue, the measurements affirm that opinion. As a bookend, its a beaute !~
Thank you Phil!!! I didn't think it looked exactly like Onyx...my Aunt said Marble(I knew better). I have some Alabaster horse bookends, but they are more beige than the white under this big cat, and the striations are not straight lines. Yes, I assumed it was a bookend, I wish I had the mate. Thank you again, I now have a lead on the maker:)
I will check my sculpture books to see if there is something there.
Not Hirsch...but he did lead me to Ronco, but he used black Marble. His tigers had very detailed faces, mine does not. I now know he is Spelter, had no idea. I did notice a little notch or indent (may be nothing) its on the back foot that touches the stone, near the ankle joint heel area.
Tigers or panthers did not have much detail. Most of the highly collectable cats never were much detailed. And most are made of "french bronze" which is just another word for spelter. Very few pieces made by hirsch were made of bronze either. Spelter ruled after the second world war. If you see the words french bronze beware what it is made of.
I may have finally found the maker... Artemetalica S. A. Hecho en Mexico. They used a sticker, that would explain no mark. My Aunt and Uncle did make a trip to Old Mexico in the late 1950's.