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"Spear Dancer", Spectacular, Rare Bronze with Male Nude by Brenda Putnam

$12,500
£9,543.69
€11,027.65
CA$17,547.63
A$19,558.67
CHF 10,261.76
MX$238,843.20
NOK 129,936.21
SEK 122,809.48
DKK 82,304.18

About the Item

In an era when artists were capturing the exoticism and athleticism of modern dancers, such as Richmond Barthé's depiction of Féral Benga dancing with a large, curved sword or Paul Colin's drawings of Josephine Baker with her skirt of bananas, this sensuous presentation of a nude male dancer with a long spear stands out. The bronze was sculpted in 1926 by Brenda Putnam, who is best known for a series of bronzes showing children at play, often placed in gardens and parks. However, Putnam was ambitious to do more, leaving academic sculpture behind as she collaborated with architect Paul Philippe Cret to create the Puck Fountain for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., executed a number of portraits in bronze, exhibited at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, and created "The Crest" -- consisting of a a large male nude swimming atop a stylized wave -- for the 1939 New York World's Fair. This bronze is very rare and exhibits a lustrous patina. It is signed and includes a foundry mark from Kunst Foundry in New York, which seems to have had a short life, but specialized in bronze casting for women sculptors such as Edith Parsons, Maude Sherwood Jewett and of course Putnam.
  • Creator:
    Brenda Putnam (Sculptor)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)Depth: 7 in (17.78 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Cast
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1926
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Overall excellent; small area with scuffing to the patina on figure's right leg.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865143957602

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