Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

"Blue Maned Horse with Cactus", Classic WPA-Era Sculpture by Whalen, 1930s

$3,600
£2,733.57
€3,126.04
CA$5,029.72
A$5,594.15
CHF 2,921.09
MX$68,074.84
NOK 37,306.79
SEK 34,987.18
DKK 23,330.80
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Although best known today for his abstract sculptures, many at display at the Howard Whalen Sculpture Garden in Sierra Madre, California, the artist started his career in the WPA era, producing pieces that depicted unvarnished American life -- or folklore -- in the Depression years. Although diminutive, this sculpture is highly detailed, depicting an expired -- or sleeping horse -- curled around a desert cactus, his blue mane and tail wrapped around his body. Whalen simply called this "Horse," and both the title and his signature are impressed into the clay.
  • Creator:
    Howard Whalen (Sculptor)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 3 in (7.62 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Clay,Glazed
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1930s
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865140080612

More From This Seller

View All
"Prancing Gray Horse", Rare Art Deco Sculpture by Gregory, 1930s
By Waylande Gregory
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Enveloped in a glaze the color of grey flannel, this unique Art Deco sculpture depicts a prancing horse, his coat decorated with a series of "X" marks, and his body leaping over styl...
Category

Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Animal Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

"Horse with Mud Knot, " Rare and Beautiful Bronze Sculpture of Standing Horse
By Mary Tarleton Knollenberg
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Sculpted by Mary Tarleton Knollenberg, this rare bronze of a standing horse depicts its tail in a classic mud knot, used by equestrians to keep a horse's tail free of dirt and mud from the track. The animal is beautifully realized and is given great dignity and largeness, though the sculpture is diminutive. Tarleton studied under Mahonri Young...
Category

Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Hand to Head, " Rare, Art Deco Sculpture with Female Figure in Blue and Green
By Kaiser Keramik
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Beautifully glazed in tones of pale taupe, sea blue and soft green, this rare sculpture depicting a female figure robed in Classical garb was made by Kieler Kunst-Keramic in Kiel, Ge...
Category

Vintage 1920s German Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

"Leaping Zebra, " Fine and Rare Art Deco Sculpture, Signed by Waylande Gregory
By Waylande Gregory
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Full of energy and élan, this rare sculpture by Waylande Gregory, dating from the 1940s, depicts a zebra in mid-air, looking behind with elegant unconcern. The ceramic form is glazed in a lovely off-white glaze, and is mounted on a dark-stained walnut plinth. Gregory was a renowned a WPA sculpture...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Paired Art Deco Horse Heads by Goldscheider-Everlast
By Goldscheider Everlast
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This rare paperweight, featuring a pair of ivory-hued horse heads mounted on a stepped-back base in shades of purple and pale green, is a rare issue b...
Category

Vintage 1930s American Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

WPA Period "Pan with Rabbit" in Carved Fruitwood
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Entirely charming and whimsical, the anonymous sculptor of "Pan with Rabbit" has created a masterful portrait of a rotund Pan beguiling a woodland rabbit. Carved from a cylinder of r...
Category

Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Sculptures

Materials

Fruitwood

You May Also Like

Mid-Century Modern Horse Ceramic Sculpture by Aldo Londi, Italy, 1960
By Aldo Londi
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Horse Ceramic Sculpture by Aldo Londi, Italy, 1960
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Rimini Blu Ceramic Horse Sculpture by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, Italy, 1960s
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in Milan, IT
Ceramic standing horse sculpture by Aldo Londi for Bitossi. Blue crystalline glaze enhancing the details of the decoration.
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Italian Midcentury Blue Sculpture Ceramic Horse 1960s
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian midcentury modern design large blue glazed ceramic stylized horse sculpture designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Bitossi Fiorentino, Italy 1960s Please note that the ceram...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Bitossi Aldo Londi Rimini Blue Horse, Italy, circa 1960s
By Bitossi
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous character ceramic figural horse statue - Bitossi Aldo Londi. This character statue has been made in the 1960s. Absolutely gorgeous item with mark on the body and still in ...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Vintage Swedish Stoneware Horse by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg, 1950s
By Gustavsberg
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Swedish stoneware horse by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg, 1950s. This small Scandinavian modern ceramic horse figurine is part of the Small Zo...
Category

Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

Robert and Jean Cloutier Sculpture Horse, circa 1960, France
By Robert and Jean Cloutier
Located in Girona, Spain
Robert and Jean Cloutier sculpture horse. Made with glazed ceramic. Ceramic box. A fine black enameled sculptural horse shaped box. Signed Circa 196...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic