$575
Carved and Painted Weasel, attributed to Fred Alten (1872-1945), Wyandotte, Michigan, brown paint with yellow bead eyes, no stand, (two legs repaired), ht. 3 3/4, wd. 2 3/4, lg. 13 3/4 in. N.B. Alten was a self-taught artist whose inspiration appears to have been drawn both from nature and the 1880 edition of JOHNSON'S BOOK OF NATURE. According to Wendy Lavitt in ANIMALS IN AMERICAN FOLK ART, (New York, 1990), p. 185, Alten worked in a foundry, and this may account for the fact that many of his larger animals are made of joined parts that create a sturdy and balanced sculpture. Alten typically confined his creatures within cages. The carvings were discovered in a garage thirty years after his death. This carving appears to date from around 1910. Provenance: Aarne Anton/American Primitive Gallery. Exhibitions: "The Sculpture of Fred Alten," installed on the Michigan Airtrain, 1978.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2001-02-25
