This past Sunday, I spent the day visiting the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Of all of the wonderful things that I saw, this sculpture by Paul Manship particularly caught my attention. Although I find the subject matter charming and like the idealized forms and stylized treatment of the work--Manship was interested in Near Eastern art, hence the Assyrian-inspried mane of the dog--I was especially enthralled with the beautiful brown-black-green mottled patina (evident most clearly on the hunter's thigh and rump-click on image for better viewing). I have seen many patinated surfaces. Some patinas are evenly applied and entirely opaque, others are evenly applied but create a somewhat waxy effect, and some are evenly applied, but then rubbed, exposing the bronze at areas of high relief on the surface. But I think that this kind of mottled artist applied patina (which I've seen on a medium-sized Renoir sculpture as well) is one of the most beautiful. It creates a rich varigated color surface and an appearance of translucency that is not possible with an all over opaque patina. Indian Hunter and His Dog was cast by the Alexis Rudier foundry in Paris and was maintained in the collection of the artist, which perhaps, affirms the particular high-quality of the piece, both in terms of its casting and patina.
Apparently there is another cast of this size at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, but I bet it's not out....
Paul Manship (American, 1885-1966)
Indian Hunter and His Dog, 1926
Marked: Alexis Rudier Fondeur Paris
23" x 23" x 7"
Smithsonian American Art Museum
One of 12 bronze casts of this size
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