One of only four original plaster models of renowned western artist Frederick Remington’s bronze sculpture The Bronco Buster will be sold at a three-day weekend estate sale slated for Jan. 22-24 by Philip Weiss Auctions.
The piece was hand-carved and cast by Remington himself, prior to 1895, and is the oldest of the original four versions. It has never been offered for sale.
In fact, it has never been seen by the public before. That’s because it has remained in the private collection of Roman Bronze Works since being acquired over 100 years ago, and it has been in storage ever since. It is believed that Remington worked this, his first piece, entirely by himself and would not accept any assistance. It still has the artist’s original signature, which was never strengthened or cleaned.
The sculpture was exhibited at Tiffany & Company, when the firm was offering replicas of the statue for sale in the late 1890s. In 1901, the piece was bought by Roman Bronze Works, when Remington began working with Ricardo Bertelli, the founder of R.B.W. Mr. Bertelli had seen The Bronco Buster in 1895 and had acquired one of the 40 original castings by Henry Bonnard Foundry.
Remington worked closely with Bertelli until his death and gave him the plaster version of The Bronco Buster to be sold by Philip Weiss Auctions. Another original plaster casting of the sculpture was offered at auction in 1988, where it carried a dizzying pre-sale estimate of $350,000-$400,000. Philip Weiss Auctions has assigned this version a much more conservative sale estimate of $30,000-$50,000.
Frederick Remington (NY/KS, 1861-1909) is arguably America’s best-known and most revered western painter, sculptor and illustrator. His style was realistic and much of his work was narrative, the implication being that the West belonged to the white man, but his Indians were portrayed with dignity and nobility. He created about 25 bronze statues. The most famous of these was The Bronco Buster.
To learn more about Philip Weiss Auctions and the big upcoming Jan. 22-24 weekend auction, plus the February sale, log on to www.prwauctions.com. Updates are posted often.
