Lot 32
Louis-Paul Jonas(1894-1971)Hippopotamus 6 1/2in high
26 February 2021, 13:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$5,100 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our California Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Aaron Bastian
Director
Kathy Wong
Senior Director, Fine Art
Louis-Paul Jonas (1894-1971)
Hippopotamus
inscribed 'LOUIS P. JONAS. Sc. / © Z.A.I. 1932' (along the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
6 1/2in high
Modeled and cast in 1932.
inscribed 'LOUIS P. JONAS. Sc. / © Z.A.I. 1932' (along the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
6 1/2in high
Modeled and cast in 1932.
Footnotes
Provenance
The Collection of Berry B. Brooks.
Louis-Paul Jonas's artistic career was inextricably tied to his training as a taxidermist and naturalist. Louis-Paul was born into a family of six sons — five of whom became master taxidermists. His oldest brother, Colomon Jones, had trained for a decade in the art, working on specimens from around the world including Africa which, in the early 20th century, was opening up as the newest frontier for hunting. Colomon's growing reputation and skill led him from Budapest to the American West, where he established Jonas Brothers Taxidermy in 1908. 1
At the age of fifteen, Louis-Paul emigrated to Denver, Colorado and joined his brothers' firm. Colomon recognized Louis-Paul's 'grasp of anatomy and fine feeling for form and motion in reproducing wild animals in clay and bronze' which served him well at the studio. 2 The process of taxidermy required numerous careful drawings and clay models, building up the entire skeletal and musculature system. A plaster mold was made from the model, from which a papier-mâché model mannequin was constructed to support the skin.
The Jonas Brothers eventually parted ways with Colomon. Louis-Paul left for New York where he studied sculpture at the National Academy of Design under the tutelage of Herman Atkins MacNeil. Making his way in New York, he found a kindred spirit in the pioneering naturalist and sculptor Carl Ethan Akeley. Akeley selected Louis-Paul to assist him with his elephant diorama in the Hall of African Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)—an exhibition that continues to educate visitors to this day.
Louis-Paul founded the Jonas Brothers Studio of New York with two other brothers in Yonkers in 1930. The Studio achieved a reputation for excellency over their 60-year history, creating life-size dioramas for the AMNH, The Field Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution, among others 3
Besides taxidermy, the studio was known for its miniature and full-size bronze sculptures, of which Hippopotamus is an example. Louis-Paul was awarded his first public commission in 1930 for a bronze sculpture entitled Grizzly's Last Stand presently located at the Museum of Science and Nature in Denver, Colorado.
1 Ken Edwards, 'The Jonas Legacy Lives On,' (https://www.taxidermy.net/ken/?p=861)
2 Ibid.
3 'Jonas Brothers Studio, Since 1908,' (https://jonasbrotherstaxidermy.com/history)
