Bronze with verdigris patina, signed "Furio Piccirilli," circa 1926, mounted atop a dark gray marble base with attractive veining.

12.5 x 6.5 x 7.25 in.

Gift from the artist to John Gulias, the Bronx, NY, NY, and thence by descent through the family. Mr. Gulias studied at the Leonardo da Vinci Art School which was under the direction of Attilio Piccirilli. Mr. Gulias was awarded First Prize in the Lincoln Contest in 1938 while at the school. He also served as Attilio Piccirilli's assistant and in 1949 he was awarded the Prix de Rome for Visual Arts.

Furio Piccirilli exhibited the bronze "Duckling" at the National Academy of Design's 101st Winter Exhibition in 1926, number 222. His "Duckling" was highlighted in a New York Times article on the exhibition published on March 21, 1926. A photograph of this bronze was assembled by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Carnegie Corporation of New York for their American Sculpture Photograph Study Collection, documenting works "desirable in the study of art." In total, six of Furio's animal sculptures were included in the collection. His sculptures of a seal are housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at Brookgreen Gardens in SC. Furio was one of the Piccirilli Brothers, a prominent family of sculptors with a studio in the Bronx. Their public works included the carving of the Lincoln Memorial, the carving of the two lions at the New York Public Library, and the original design and carving of the USS Maine Memorial in Columbus Circle. This is the first sculpture by Furio to come to auction in many years.

Very minor scattered flakes to marble; else very good condition.

$4,000 - 6,000