Paul Howard Manship

Estate of the artist

Peter D. Solomon, Sacramento (grandson of the artist; acquired by descent from the above)

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Paul Vitry, Paul Manship: Sculpteur Americain, Paris 1927, no. 3, p. 35, another cast illustrated

Paul Manship: American Sculptors Series 2, New York 1947, p. 7, another cast illustrated

Edwin Murtha, Paul Manship, New York 1957, no. 18, p. 150, another cast mentioned

Harry Rand, Paul Manship, Washington, D.C. 1989, nos. 21-23, pp. 32-34, another cast illustrated

Susan Rather, Archaism, Modernism, and the Art of Paul Manship, Austin 1993, pp. 85, p. 92, another cast mentioned

Exh. Cat., Gerald Peters Gallery, Paul Manship and His Circle, 2006, p. 12, another cast illustrated

Little Brother was conceived in 1912 during Manship’s three-year stay at the American Academy in Rome. His draw to antique arts had brought him to the Italian capital in 1909, a sojourn that ended up profoundly impacting his style. As is exhibited with this lot, Manship renders his figures stylized, all while imbuing them with a freedom of movement. This is a characteristic that eventually defined his iconic style. 

Conceived as one of fifteen, the present model is a marvelous rendition of a sensitive domestic scene. While the depicted figures don’t express individual emotion, their physical relationship to one another creates a holistically expressive work. The figures are reminiscent of an archaic Greek subject, but are rendered through a modern perspective. It is this fusion of styles that is largely responsible for Manship's success: attracting both avant-garde and traditional communities. This special work remained with the artist’s family for many years. Originally belonging to the estate of the artist, the statue was then passed on to his grandson, Peter D. Solomon, until it was acquired through an intermediary by the present owner.