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Important, Rare Pair Art Deco Polynesian-Themed Sculptures or Lamps by Powell

$4,900per set
£3,733.05per set
€4,304.36per set
CA$6,857.45per set
A$7,662.06per set
CHF 4,008.11per set
MX$93,961.40per set
NOK 51,215.99per set
SEK 48,566.33per set
DKK 32,125.73per set
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About the Item

Beautifully modelled, molded and glazed, this pair of sculptures was originally designed to serve as tabletop torchere lamps, with light washing the wall above, and lighting the eyes of each head. Very finely crafted, the sculptures were made by Doane Powell, an important Nebraska cartoonist and illustrator who later became famous for the masks he made of celebrities such as Mae West, Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, and Greta Garbo. Powell made both realistic portraits as well as caricatures, and exhibited his work at the Century of Progress Exposition, in Chicago, in 1933. He had moved to New York in the 1920s, and his mask-making business flourished, with masks commissioned for theater productions, department store displays, movies and television, and advertising campaigns. In 1948, Powell wrote an authoritative volume, "Masks and How to Make Them," which revealed that he made his masks from laminated paper, adhesive and sometimes silk.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11.25 in (28.58 cm)Diameter: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1940s
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: U1009068651269

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