Cynthia Durfey Smith (American, 20th-21st century), Horse and Jockey

1978, patinated bronze, edition numbered "2/10," signed and dated to the terrace edge, mounted atop a walnut base.

14 x 17 x 8 in.

From the Estate of the late Peggy Augustus, Old Keswick, Virginia

Cynthia Durfey Smith (née Hart Durfey) was born in Springfield, Ohio and became an equine enthusiast at a young age. She was given her first horse at age 10 and has fox hunted with the Miami Valley Hunt for much of her life. After graduating with a BA in Studio Art from Smith College, a liberal arts college in Massachusetts, in 1957, Durfey married abstract expressionist painter Angelo Ippolito (Italian/American, 1922-2001). Nicknamed "Mr. 10th Street," Ippolito was active in the New York City art scene during the dawn of Abstract Expressionism and co-founded the cooperative Tanager Gallery on East 10th Street. Durfey's marriage to Ippolito immersed her in the vibrant post-war art world of the U.S., and she was surrounded by several notable larger-than-life male Ab-Ex artist personalities, including her husband. “I got so totally overwhelmed by all the goings-on,” she confessed, “that I just piddled.” She went on to remarry to obstetrician David Smith in 1976 and moved back to Ohio. Cynthia has since focused on her artistic career. Two of her bronze equine sculptures have appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse. She also works with oils and watercolors and is represented by several galleries.

Areas of greening to the patina; wood base minor scuffs staining to the base.