291 Stalking Panther

SOLD
Winning Bid Undisclosed
This item SOLD at 2015 Apr 11 @ 16:02UTC-7 : PDT/MST
Category Western Americana
Auction Currency USD
Start Price NA
Estimated at 15,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD
Stalking Panther
Artist: Proctor, AphimisterDate of Birth: 1860-1950
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 10 1/4 inches high, 37 1/2 inches wide
Signed: Signed and dated 1891-1992

Alexander Phimister Proctor was raised on the frontier near Denver. His interest in the history of the American West and the fate of American wildlife led him to sculpture and to a lengthy sojourn in Paris, studying art. Knowledge of the anatomy of men and animals in the West and a classical beaux-arts education was a winning combination, and Proctor quickly made a name for himself on his return to the States. Large public commissions in Denver and elsewhere followed, making Proctor perhaps the best known American sculptor of his time. While sketching the panthers (cougars) at the New York Zoo in preparation for Stalking Panther, Proctor had a close call: [A]s I was sketching close to the panthersÕ cage, I carelessly turned my back on my models to get better light on the drawing. Suddenly I felt needle-sharp pains in my shoulder. Leaping away from the cage, I turned to see the big male catÕs forelegÑat least six feet long, it looked to beÑstretched through the cage, my blood dripping from his claws. Then and there I learned an important lesson: never turn your back on a wild four-legged model! (Proctor, A Sculptor in Buckskin, pp.96-97)
The foreleg on ProctorÕs Stalking Panther stretches, reaches... ProctorÕs original title for the bronze was Fate. Very interesting.