1934 Augustus Saint-Gaudens Bas-Relief Portrait Plaque. Baxter-164 var., Dryfhout-not listed, Marqusee-140. Uniface Cast Bronze. 5.75” x 4.25”. By John Flanagan. Choice Uncirculated. Beautiful deep reddish-brown patina with more verdant tones in the deepest recesses of the designs. Obverse shows bearded bust of Saint-Gaudens facing left, AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS / STATUAIRE AETATIS·LVI in small letters above. Signed with Flanagan’s initials and dated bottom left field: MCM (JF) XXXIV. The reverse has two small treaded-drilled holes that would have been used for mounting, and there are vestiges of numbers and letters in the upper right reverse, undoubtedly from the foundry. This is one of the most famous of all the medallic portraits of the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). It appears as the obverse on the 1937 plaquette issued for the Medallic Art Companys Sculptors Dinner. The genesis of the portrait is shrouded in mystery. It is dated 1934, yet it’s almost sole use was for the Sculptors Dinner medal in 1937. Speculation is that the bas-relief design was indeed executed in 1934 and was probably based upon the model of Flanagan’s bronze bust of Saint-Gaudens which he executed in 1905. Flanagan commenced the portrait of Saint-Gaudens in 1905, modeling it from life in Cornish. At the time, Saint-Gaudens was gravely ill, yet Flanagan portrayed the sculptor as a vital and energetic presence. The model was unfinished at the time of Saint-Gaudens’ death in 1907 and was not resumed until 1920. Additionally, it appears that Flanagan had no immediate use in mind for this medallic portrait other than as an artistic exercise in honor of his mentor and the possibility of its commercial use at some later date. Medallic Art Company’s Director of Research and Historian, Dick Johnson, notes that Flanagan was a very close friend of Henri Weil and it is presumed he assigned the model to Weil to replicate the relief in metal at the Medallic Art Company. Since this was in the depths of the 1930s depression, any commercial use of this portrait was slim, thus the reason so few were made in the larger size. Later in 1937, Clyde Tress, the new owner of the Medallic Art Company, in an attempt to stimulate business among sculptors, scheduled a dinner where nearly a hundred sculptors were invited. Tress had Henri Weil reduce this portrait model on the firm’s Janvier. The smaller struck plaquette was given as a dinner favor to those who attended.We are aware of two other large uniface examples. The first is a 10¾” x 14¾" bronze Galvano pictured in Dick Johnsons medal blog https://medalblog.wordpress.com/tag/jules-edouard-roine/ and the second, is an example owned by The Century Club/Association in New York City, where they had held a centennial exhibition of Saint-Gaudens’ birth in 1948.This Saint-Gaudens portrait is one of seven known medallic portraits. The first, modeled in 1898, was by Helen F. Mears, a student-assistant of Saint-Gaudens; it was cast by Gorham in 1916, and an example is offered in this auction. James Fraser’s portrait of Saint-Gaudens was prepared for the 1901 Pan American Expositions as a Special Medal of Award. In 1904, the sculptor George T. Brewster modeled a large bas-relief portrait modeled from life at Saint-Gaudens studio, it was cast by Gorham Co. and was used by Brewster as a reference to complete a group of eleven portrait medallions of artists, including Saint-Gaudens, for the exterior of the Palace of Art at the Saint Louis Worlds Fair. In 1928 sculptor Warner Williams created a Saint-Gaudens portrait, reason unknown. This Flanagan portrait of 1934 followed. In 1969 Ralph J. Menconi put Saint-Gaudens on his Statehood Medal of New Hampshire, the states most famous citizen. In 1971 Stanley Martineau created a Saint-Gaudens portrait for the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at New York University medal series. The new owner of this Flanagan bas-relief might find all other medallic portraits easy to acquire since the later three were by the Medallic Art Company. Only the Gorham casts might prove a chore to acquire.John Flanagan (1865-1952) was one of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ studio assistants from 1885 to 1890, where he worked on diverse projects from the Lincoln Monument to the George Washington Inaugural Centennial Medal. Like many of Saint-Gaudens assistants, Flanagan attended classes at the Art Students League before leaving for Paris in 1890 to study at the École des Beaux Arts. At the beginning of his twelve-year stay in the City of Lights, Flanagan assisted in MacMonnies studio for a while, working mostly on MacMonnies large nautical-themed sculptural group for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He settled in New York in 1902, after living abroad for twelve years and was particularly distinguished for his medals and low-relief portraits. In 1919, Flanagan paid honor to Daniel Chester French with a medallic portrait plaque on the occasion of his 69th birthday. It was also Flanagan who designed the "Washington" quarter replacing MacNeils "Standing Liberty" quarter; Flanagans design was introduced in 1932 and still is in use today. Flanagan produced no sculpture for New York City, but is perhaps the most accomplished medalist of the Saint-Gaudens circle. Fellow sculptor Frederick MacMonnies remarked about his skill: "I consider him the leading medalist in America, an artist of high rank and a craftsman of infinite sincerity and devotion to his work”. Special thanks to collector Christopher Bach for his cataloguing of this lot.
