Alexander Pope Jr. (1849-1924)
Woodcock and Upland Plover, 1875
signed, dated, and titled "A. Pope Jr. Boston Oct. 1875" on back
polychromed wood carving, 16 by 10 in.
Alexander Pope Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and began his art career as a young boy carving animals from the spare wood of his father’s lumber business. Although Pope had some formal instruction under Boston painter and sculptor Walter Rimmer, he was, for the most part, self-taught.
An avid outdoorsman, Pope belonged to the Laurel Brook Club, a fly fishing and shooting club in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. A member from 1902 to 1908, he served on its Executive Committee with Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896-1969). He was passionate about fishing and hunting and chose these subjects for his paintings and sculptures.
Provenance: Private Collection, Utah
Literature: "Alexander Pope, Jr.: One of America's Most Unrecognized Artist and Sculptors," Decoy Magazine, July/August 1999, pp. 40-43.
Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., "Rare American Decoys and Bird Carvings," Hyannis, MA, July 22-23, 1975, lot 404, exact carving illustrated.
Condition
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