Charles Hart Miniature Penguin

Charles Hart (1862-1960) Gloucester, MA, c. 1920 7 1/4 in. high

Charles Hart penguins have long been favorites amongst collectors of American folk art. As early as 1949, Allen Easton chronicled Hart's mastery in carving these flightless birds of the Southern Hemisphere. A large Hart penguin carving presented to Admiral Byrd, noted South Pole explorer, was exhibited in a Massachusetts decoy exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. While Hart is known to have completed hundreds of penguin carvings, this boldly carved seven-inch model is a pinnacle example. Archetypal in every sense, it has all the features that astute collectors look for: an inletted bill, applied shaped wings, grooved feet, and a beautiful rich patina commensurate with the bird's age. Original paint with craquelure and light wear.

Provenance: Aime and Janis Blouin Collection

Literature: Robert Bishop, "American Folk Sculpture," New York, NY, 1985, p. 177, similar carving illustrated. Allen H. Eaton, “Handicrafts of New England,” New York, NY, 1949, p. 183.

Provenance

Aime and Janis Blouin Collection