FREDERIC SACKRIDER REMINGTON (1861-1909)

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE FAMILY COLLECTION

Details

FREDERIC SACKRIDER REMINGTON (1861-1909)

'The Scalp', A Bronze Equestrian Group

inscribed 'Frederic Remington', stamped '8', inscribed 'Copyrighted by Frederic Remington 1898', stamped 'THE HENRY-BONNARD_BRONZE C^O. FOUNDERS. NY. 1899.' and on the underside stamped again '8'
26¼in. (66.7cm) high, reddish brown patina

Literature

B. Wear, The Bronze World of Frederic Remington, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1966, pp. 62-63, illus.
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Catalogue of the Collection 1972, Fort Worth, Texas, 1972, cat. no. 571, illus.
P. Hassrick, Frederic Remington: Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in the Amon Carter Museum and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Collections, New York, 1973, p. 33, cat. no. 62, illus.
P.J. Broder, Bronzes of the American West, New York, 1974, p. 134, fig. 124, 126
M.E. Shapiro, Cast and Recast: The Sculpture of Frederic Remington, Washington, D.C., 1981, pp. 44-46, 70-72, fig. 26, 56-59
M.E. Shapiro and P. Hassrick, Frederic Remington: The Masterworks, New York, 1988, pp. 192, 195, 199, 206, 210, 227, fig. 184, pl. 52

Lot Essay

The Scalp is one of only four Remington models cast by the Henry-Bonnard Company before the artist transfered his allegiance and business to Roman Bronze Works, a foundry employing the lost-wax technique. Only 10 examples of this model were cast by Bonnard between 1898 and 1900 utilizing the sand-cast method. From 1905, when Remington reworked the model and had it cast by Roman Bronze Works, until Remington's death in 1909, less than ten casts were made.

Michael Shapiro's description of cast no. 1 applies to the present example as well, "The base, the body of the horse, the tail, the Indian's extended arm, the horse's right leg, the shield, and the rifle were all cast separately and carefully pinned together. . . the patina, with its translucent golden brown highlights, is also exceptional. Found mostly on the stones of the base, the horse, and the body of the Indian, these highlights almost duplicate the natural effect of sunlight." (Shapiro, p. 70).

Other examples of this early model of The Scalp are in the collection of The R.W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, Louisiana (cast no. 1), the Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas (cast no. 3), The Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma (cast no. 7) and the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas (cast no. 10).