Harry Jackson (American, 1924-2011) Algonquin Chief and Warrior

Description:

Harry Jackson (American, 1924-2011)

Algonquin Chief and Warrior
Signed, dated, and numbered "© Harry Jackson 1971" and "38" in the bronze along the rear edge of the base.
Bronze with black patina, height 30 in. (76.2 cm),on a marble plinth.
Condition: Dust and dirt to interstices.

Provenance: The collection of Joseph Thomas Alvarez III, California.

N.B. In 1964 Harry Jackson received a commission from the Fort Pitt Museum in Pittsburgh to create a series of murals, River, Road and Point, to highlight the history of the area and to celebrate William Pitt. Jackson first created a series of floor mosaics for the museum. However, the potential of flooding at the museum caused Jackson to reconsider the format of the mural commission. He embarked instead on eight panel paintings in lieu of a fresco or mural. Due to these logistical problems and resulting conflicts with the Mellon Foundation, the commissioned panels were never installed and remained in Jackson's studio in Camaiore, Italy.

Since his earliest exploration into bronze in the late 1950s, Jackson created sculptures to better understand the figures in his paintings. That is the case for this sculptural group and for Iroquois Guide (see Lot 272). The Fort Pitt mural subject centers upon the history of Fort Duquesne and the French and Indian War. In July 1755 British forces were ambushed while approaching Fort Duquesne. In this sculpture, the Algonquin warrior holds a spear displaying a British Grenadier's mitre cap with the queue still attached. The Chief holds a trade musket, a rifle built specifically for trade with the Indians. The tide of the war would turn in 1757, under the direction of William Pitt, the new British leader, who vigorously pursued the war, seeing the colonial conflicts as the key to building a vast British empire.
Estimate $12,000-18,000


Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

Keywords