1918 Harriet Whitney Frishmuth Bronze

Appraised on: June 4, 2011

Appraised in: Eugene, Oregon

Appraised by: Kerry Shrives

Category: Metalwork & Sculpture

Episode Info: Eugene (#1604)

Originally Aired: January 23, 2012

IMAGE: 1 of 3  

Appraisal Video: (1:02)

GUEST: It was my grandfather's. My father picked it up when my grandfather died, and then when my dad died, Mother kept it, and when she died, my brother and I were splitting up everything else in the house and he took one and I took the other.

APPRAISER: Ah. Well, it's great. It's a Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, who's a really well-known American sculptor.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: She had a very long life, very prolific, very well-regarded, and really tended to focus on these live, nude figures. She really favored dancers for models. She liked how they could extend and stretch. The title of this bronze is The Star. It's 1918. There were actually, I think, 338 of this particular model that were cast from 1918 through to, I think, the late 1940s. It's really a great figure. It's in good condition, it has a wonderful patina. For insurance purposes, you want to think about a figure for replacement value at $20,000.

GUEST: $20,000?

APPRAISER: That's right.

GUEST: Holy Toledo!