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Lot Essay
Having studied under Rodin and exhibiting with the Philadelphia Ten, Harriet Frishmuth sculpted slender smooth forms whose limbs reach far beyond the confines of their bases. Alternatively titled The Dancers and conceived in 1921, Pas de Deux represents a synthesis of this notable style in depicting the dancers Desha and Leon Barté.
Janis Conner and Joel Rosenkranz write, "Like many sculptors of her generation, including Malvina Hoffman, Abastenia St. Leger Eberle and Alfred Lenz, Frishmuth was stirred during the early twenties by the legendary personalities and romantic themes of modern and classical dance. Although her work derives from lyrical movement, Frishmuth created several small figures and groups that were specifically related to the dance...'The Dancers' (1921), posed by [Leon] Barté and Desha [Delteil], evokes a moment of physical exultation." (Rediscoveries in American Sculpture: Studio Works 1893-1939, Austin, Texas, 1989, p. 40)
Janis Conner and Joel Rosenkranz write, "Like many sculptors of her generation, including Malvina Hoffman, Abastenia St. Leger Eberle and Alfred Lenz, Frishmuth was stirred during the early twenties by the legendary personalities and romantic themes of modern and classical dance. Although her work derives from lyrical movement, Frishmuth created several small figures and groups that were specifically related to the dance...'The Dancers' (1921), posed by [Leon] Barté and Desha [Delteil], evokes a moment of physical exultation." (Rediscoveries in American Sculpture: Studio Works 1893-1939, Austin, Texas, 1989, p. 40)