Louis H. Sullivan

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Blunt, Jr., Evanston, IL, 1916
Private Collection, Evanston, IL
Thence by descent

Robert Williams Wood, Architectural Details from the Buildings at the World's Columbian Exposition, Held in Chicago, 1893, Chicago, 1893, pl. 18 (for an illustration of the design in the realized fountain)
David van Zanten, Sullivan's City:  The Meaning of Ornament for Louis Sullivan, New York, 2000, pp. 44 and 47 (for images of the exterior of the Transportation Building)
Crombie Taylor and Jeffrey Plank, The Early Louis Sullivan:  Building Photographs, San Francisco, 2001, pls. 37-38

Overall in good condition. This work is a detailed and highly contoured plaster mold based on a design which appeared on the façade of a fountain adjacent to designed Transportation Building designed by Sullivan at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The present work has been painted in a russet brown and with minor losses to the paint and areas of rubbing, as seen in the catalogue illustration. With approximately two minor losses, which are very minor and do not impact the overall presentation of the work. The piece is currently suspended in a later oak frame. The plaster element is slightly loose to the touch in the frame and would in our opinion benefit from being re-framed. The reverse of the mould is not painted and exposed in the current framing device.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Transportation Building at the Colombian Exposition in 1893 was, according to Louis Sullivan, designed as "an architectural exhibition" and became an internationally acclaimed statement on modern architecture amongst the classicism of other buildings commissioned for the fair.  The present lot is believed to have been hand cast by Sullivan from one of the plaques utilized in the Transportation building fountain.  Acquired in 1916, the original owners maintained this work in their collection until the 1980s.