Charles Hart Penguin

Charles H. Hart (1862-1960) Gloucester, MA, c. 1920 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 aquatic 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 ten-inch model is a pinnacle example. Archetypal in every sense, it has all the right features that astute collectors look for: an inletted bill, applied shaped wings, grooved feet, and beautiful rich patina commensurate with the bird's age. Originally purchased directly from the Hart family. Original paint with minor wear.

Literature: Richard 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.