A HAND-PAINTED AND GLAZED EARTHENWARE CHARGER, 1925

Dogs, horses, and other images of animal husbandry feature prominently in the work of Hunt Diederich who was raised on a Hungarian estate and spent part of his youth as a cowboy. The son of a Prussian cavalry officer and the grandson of the painter William Morris Hunt, Diederich was encouraged early on to pursue his artistic interests. A bit of a rogue, he was dismissed from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for foul language in 1908. He then traveled to Europe and studied with the renowned animal sculptor, Antoine-Louis Barye. By 1910, he was established enough to show in the Paris salon. With the onset of World War I, Diederich returned to the States where his academic bronzes won immediate acclaim in New York circles. He soon began experimenting with silhouettes of animal forms which he incorporated into household objects and, later, ceramics as well. This work was shown in several New York galleries through the 20s and 30s and in 1928 his ceramic designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
International Exhibition of Ceramic Art.