{"product_id":"flora-and-sonny-boy-whitney-by-james-earle-fraser","title":"Flora and Sonny Boy Whitney by James Earle Fraser","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"327\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"34\"\u003eJames Earle Fraser (1876–1953)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"34\" data-end=\"37\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"37\" data-end=\"66\"\u003eFlora and Sonny Boy Whitney\u003c\/em\u003e, 1907\u003cbr data-start=\"72\" data-end=\"75\"\u003eSigned \u003cem data-start=\"82\" data-end=\"92\"\u003eJ Fraser\u003c\/em\u003e (lower left), dated 1907, inscribed as titled (upper right), and further inscribed \u003cem data-start=\"176\" data-end=\"211\"\u003eCast by Griffoul. \/ Newark, N. J.\u003c\/em\u003e (lower right)\u003cbr data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"228\"\u003ePainted bronze relief\u003cbr data-start=\"249\" data-end=\"252\"\u003e59 1\/2 x 67 1\/4 inches\u003cbr data-start=\"274\" data-end=\"277\"\u003eCollection of Marylou Whitney \u0026amp; John Hendrickson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"329\" data-end=\"834\"\u003eOne of America’s foremost sculptors of the early twentieth century, James Earle Fraser is best known for his iconic public monuments and for designing the celebrated “Buffalo” nickel (1913). Born in Winona, Minnesota, and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and in Paris at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts, Fraser combined Beaux-Arts discipline with a distinctly American sensibility. His works—including \u003cem data-start=\"755\" data-end=\"777\"\u003eThe End of the Trail\u003c\/em\u003e—became enduring symbols of national identity and memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"836\" data-end=\"1373\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"836\" data-end=\"865\"\u003eFlora and Sonny Boy Whitney\u003c\/em\u003e reflects Fraser’s command of portrait relief and his ability to infuse likeness with warmth and vitality. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe panel depicts Flora Payne Whitney and her younger brother, Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny Boy” Whitney, members of two of America’s most prominent Gilded Age families. They were the children of Harry Payne Whitney, noted sportsman, patron, and thoroughbred horse breeder, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, sculptor, founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, and great-granddaughter of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, the railroad and shipping magnate whose fortune helped define nineteenth-century American wealth and influence. The composition balances intimacy with formal dignity. The high-relief modeling of the figures contrasts with the subtle, painterly surface patina, enhancing depth and presence. Fraser’s sensitive treatment of gesture and expression conveys both maternal affection and the social stature of the Whitney family, prominent patrons of the arts in America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1375\" data-end=\"1748\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eCast by Griffoul of Newark, New Jersey, the relief exemplifies the collaboration between sculptor and foundry that characterized major American bronzes of the period. Monumental in scale and refined in execution, the work stands as both a personal tribute and a testament to Fraser’s position at the forefront of American sculptural practice in the early twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Anthonys Fine Art \u0026 Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47308377325804,"sku":null,"price":265000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2013\/1449\/files\/2089961-6.jpg?v=1771109043","url":"https:\/\/anthonysfineart.com\/products\/flora-and-sonny-boy-whitney-by-james-earle-fraser","provider":"Anthonys Fine Art \u0026 Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}