Lot 30
James Lippitt Clark(1883-1969)African Cape Buffalo 11 3/4in high
26 February 2021, 13:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$10,200 inc. premium
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Aaron Bastian
Director
Kathy Wong
Senior Director, Fine Art
James Lippitt Clark (1883-1969)
African Cape Buffalo
inscribed 'JAS-L-CLARK ©' and stamped 'ROMAN BRONZE WORKS INC.' (along the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
11 3/4in high
Modeled and cast in 1913.
inscribed 'JAS-L-CLARK ©' and stamped 'ROMAN BRONZE WORKS INC.' (along the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
11 3/4in high
Modeled and cast in 1913.
Footnotes
Provenance
The Collection of Berry B. Brooks.
James Lippitt Clark was an explorer, sculptor and taxidermist who is best known for his African and North American mammal dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and upon graduation, apprenticed at the Gorham Foundry in his native city of Providence. In 1902, Clark landed a position at the AMNH based on his skill with animal sculpture. He trained under the legendary taxidermist John Rowley at the AMNH and Carl Ethan Akeley — the 'father of modern taxidermy' — at the Field Museum. In 1909, Clark and Akeley became colleagues at the AMNH, and the two remained close friends until Akeley's death in 1926. Rowley, Clark and Akeley were in the vanguard of taxidermy in the early 20th century. Through their writings, lectures, and mentorship, each conveyed the idea that taxidermy should be considered a fine art rather than a trade, utilizing the skills of sculpture and drawing. The younger sculptor and taxidermist Louis-Paul Jonas (see lots 31 and 32) also fell within this tradition. Clark became the director of taxidermy at the AMNH until his retirement in 1949.
Like Akeley, Clark was a big game hunter and went on African safari to observe wildlife in their natural habitats. In 1908-1909, he accompanied Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore, a naturalist and wildlife photographer, on his first African safari. Their safari crossed paths with President Theodore Roosevelt's safari with the Smithsonian Institution in 1909-1910. Clark went on additional African and Asiatic expeditions over the next three decades.
Berry B. Brooks was first introduced to Clark on the first stop of his two-month African expedition in 1947. Clark led the Brooks on a behind-the-scenes tour of the dioramas at the AMNH, where the Brooks were particularly impressed by the Akeley African Hall. 1 On this safari – the first of four that he undertook – Brooks hunted and photographed the African Cape buffalo in Kenya, such as the one depicted in the present work.
1 Virginia Feild Walton Brooks, Screed of Safari Scribe, 1947, p. 14.
