American sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin (1861 – 1944) was born in Utah and grew-up around many Native Americans, both children and adults. He developed a sympathy to their history and their difficult plight. Dallin created an important cycle of four bronze sculptures portraying mounted Indian horsemen.
His masterpiece, “Appeal to the Great Spirit,” was cast in Paris and unveiled at the Paris Salon of 1909—where it won the gold medal. It became popular immediately—especially in America—and the image has been used everywhere from advertising to album covers. Smaller copies of the work have been made and installed across the country. One version is part of the White House’s permanent collection and was used to decorate President Clinton’s Oval Office. The original was installed in the forecourt of Boston's Museum of Fine Art in 1912.
The artist, who was also an Olympic archer, studied and worked nationwide and in Europe. He was a colleague of American sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens in Boston and a close friend of American painter John Singer Sargent.
The bookends, shown above, are a tribute to Dallin's sculpture. They are made of cast iron and are finished with an age-darkened copper patina. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248